


I Broke Time and Now I Have How Many Girlfriends?

by kamenhero25



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Smut, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-03-12 05:25:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13540644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamenhero25/pseuds/kamenhero25
Summary: Max Caulfield was never the type to give up.  So when it looked like she had to choose a sacrifice, she tried to force a third option.  It worked, but the results are... unusual.  And quite possibly very pleasurable.





	1. Chapter 1

The winds blew past at gale force, nearly blinding Max from the sheer force as she looked out over the ocean.  This was insane.  After everything she’d gone through, she had to either let everyone die, or go back and undo everything she’d worked her ass off for over the past week _and_ lose the girl she was maybe a little bit in love with?

Fuck.  That.  Noise.

She was not just going to sit down and take this.  She reached out, focusing herself, forcing her powers out.  She’d twisted time in knots more times than she could count anymore.  She’d stopped fucking time to save Kate’s life.  She had rewritten all of reality at least three times.  Time was going to do what she wanted and it was going to stop trying to screw her over.  She wasn’t going to give it any other choice.

She pushed harder, until there was a painful buzzing in her ears and her temples felt like they might explode.  She had the power.  She could _feel_ the power.  She just had to make it work.  She pushed harder again.  There was a voice behind her and Max was sure that Chloe was yelling something, but she couldn’t hear it over the blood pounding in her ears.  She was nearly there.  She could feel it.  It was like a wall, trying to keep her from pushing that extra inch and finally breaking through to the power she needed to reach the end.  She pushed one last time and everything shattered like glass.

The world seemed to become nothing more than shards of color.  Max looked around, seeing the broken fragments hanging in mid-air.  “That wasn’t quite what I was going for.”  She swore she could hear voices speaking from the pieces around her, forming half sentences and incomplete thoughts in the void.  “Okay, so maybe trying to push time as hard as possible wasn’t my smartest idea.”  She took a deep breath the calm her racing heart.  “Still not the weirdest thing to happen this week.”

She reached out to touch one of the shards and it rippled, the color within it solidifying into an image.  The sound of wind and the rumble of thunder made her jump a little as the image of storm clouds formed.  “We’ve had more than enough of that.”  She pushed the shard away and the sounds stopped as the shard disappeared.  “Whoa.”  Max hesitated for a minute, then reached out and touched another shard.  An image of her and Chloe appeared, their arms wrapped around each other and their lips touching.  “And maybe not enough of that.”  She tapped the image and it solidified.

She felt her whole body heat up for a second and the echo of Chloe’s kiss hit her instantly.  Her lips tingled and she felt the blood rush to her face.  “Wowser,” she breathed, one hand coming up to touch her lips.  “Did that just happen?  Or did I decide that it happened?”  She shook her head as a jolt of pain shot through it.  “Why do my powers make less sense the more I use them?”

Another shard shimmered and Max tapped it, revealing an image of her and Kate.  They were sitting together at a table with two long cold cups between them.  Kate had a smile on her face that Max hadn’t seen in ages and was laughing at something.  “Oh yeah, definitely keeping that one.”  She tapped the image and solidified it too.

She looked around at the thousands of shards, stretching as far as she could see and probably beyond that.  “Shit.  Please tell me I don’t have to go through every one of these.  Playing editor to all of time was so not on the schedule for today.”  She closed her eyes.  “I just want the shards where shit is back to normal and everyone can be happy.  No storm, no more bullshit at school, no more crazy serial killer.  Is that too much to ask?”

The world shifted one more time and things started to change rapidly.  Shards lit up or vanished like smoke, moving past her faster and faster until all she could see was indistinct colors and the only sounds she could hear were broken words coming to fast to process.  She gasped for air as she felt the air moving again as the world restarted.  She stumbled forward, trying not to fall flat on her face as everything started spinning.

“Max!”  She managed to look up long enough to see Chloe rushing toward her.  Then darkness started to close in from all sides and she toppled forward.

\------------------------------

Max regained consciousness slowly.  Her head ached and she felt like her whole body was shaking slightly.  She groaned and opened her eyes and realized that she was shaking a little.  Mainly because Chloe was very slowly trying to carry her on her back.  “Chloe?”

“Super Max!  Oh man, I thought you broke something important up top.”  The blue-haired girl tapped her forehead.  Max just winced at how loud Chloe sounded.  “Think you can walk?  You’re way heavier than you look and I don’t think I can carry you all the way back to the truck.”

“Nice ta see ou too,” Max said.  Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and her words came out slightly slurred.

“I’m gonna take that as a no.”  Chloe grunted and adjusted her grip to keep Max from slipping.  “You must’ve done somethin’ hella crazy.  One second the town’s about to get flattened, the next everything’s sunshine and bluebirds and shit.”  She hopped over a rock, jostling Max again.

“Mighta bwoke time a little,” Max slurred, wrapping her arms around Chloe’s shoulders and holding on tight.

“Maybe you should stop talking until your head’s on straight,” Chloe suggested.  “You sound like me from that time Frank gave me laced shit by accident.  The colors were nice by my brain felt like it was going to melt out of my nose.”  Max just nodded and held on tighter.  “That’s the spirit.”  Chloe was probably smiling, but Max couldn’t really tell.  She just buried her face in Chloe’s shoulder while the other girl hauled her down from the lighthouse.

By the time they made it back to the truck, Max’s brain felt like it was restarting.  She could look up without the sun feeling like it was burning her eyes out and the only swaying was from the movement of Chloe’s body.  “I’m not seeing double anymore, that’s a good sign, right?”

“Usually.”  Chloe stopped.  “Think you can stand?  I need to get my keys.”

“I’m good,” Max said, her voice a little more firm.  She lowered her feet to the ground and made sure her legs didn’t buckle under her before Chloe released her grip and they stepped apart.  Max felt a sudden desire to step closer again, but she restrained herself as Chloe dug into her pockets to find her keys.  Then she felt a buzzing in her pocket and realized that he phone was going off.  She tapped the screen and a message appeared.

 **Kate** : Max, are you okay?

I saw the storm coming and then it just stopped.

But then no one could find you.

 **Max** : I’m fine.  Chloe and I are down at the beach.

 **Kate** : By the beach?

The tornado was right there!

Thank the Lord you’re not hurt.

 **Max** : Hey, you don’t need to worry about me.

I’m tougher than I look.

 **Kate** : I know.

Your gift helps you protect yourself as much as other people.

Just don’t overdo it, alright?

I hope I’ll see you soon.

Max didn’t reply again as she stared at the screen.  Was Kate talking about…  “No way.”  She shook her head.  She had to be talking about something else.  She screwed her eyes shut as another wave of pain hit and she felt her stomach roll as everything went fuzzy for a few seconds.  She remembered something.  She remembered talking with Kate at the hospital, showing her how she’d saved her.  She remembered the other girl’s tears as she whispered that she’d been given a gift to help save people from their mistakes.

“Max.”  She jolted as she realized Chloe was with her again.  “You are definitely not okay.  Let’s get you back to my place.  You need somewhere to sleep off flipping off time.”

“Chloe, we visited Kate at the hospital, right?”

The punk stopped for a second.  “Yeah, why?  She send you a message?”

Max nodded as she felt her balance return.  “Did I mention my powers at all while we were there?”

Chloe gave her a weird look.  Then she just froze in place, her eyes glazing over for a second.  “I… I don’t remember.  I think you talked to her for a while on your own.”  She shook herself, looking vaguely ill.  “The hell?  You told her and didn’t clue me in?  Dick move Maximus.  I thought I was special.”  She tried to look offended, but she couldn’t pull it off through her worried expression.

“I don’t think so.  Or maybe I did.  It’s like I’m remembering two things at once.”  Max groaned.  “Whoever thought time travel would be a cool super power was an idiot.  It’s a giant load of bullshit.”  She groaned again when her phone suddenly went off in her hand.

 **Victoria** : WTH are you Caulfield?

Everyone at school is flipping out because U R the only one missing.

I swear if you broke the universe saving the burnout…

Just find me ASAP when you get back.

“What?” Max said flatly, staring at the screen.  She almost screamed as the next wave of pain was even worse than the first.  She very distinctly remembered… Victoria being helpful?  She’d gotten them into one of the Vortex Club parties when they were investigating Rachel.  And she’d gotten Nathan off her back at least once.  Then a very prominent image of Victoria and her in their underwear while the blonde held up outfits from her closet came to the forefront of her mind.  She flushed bright red as she remembered Victoria complaining that it was hard to find something ‘both stylish and hipster chic’.  Since when did she get wardrobe tips from Victoria?

Chloe looked over her shoulder at the message.  “I can believe you telling Kate, but the queen beeatch?  No way.  What did you _do_ up there?”

“I might have broken time really badly.  And then told it to put itself back together better.”

One of the punk’s eyebrows popped up.  “So how does that translate to the bitch queen not being bitchy anymore?  That’s hella crazy.”

Max thought about it for a second.  “I think I told it that I was tired of putting up with shit at school.  Maybe it picked a timeline where Victoria and I get along now or something?”

“I swear if we’re in the Twilight Zone now, I’m sending all the weird shit your way,” Chloe said flatly.

“Story of my life,” Max muttered, rubbing her forehead.

The blue-haired girl just laughed.  “Chin up Mega Max.  You saved the day for everyone.  Let’s go see your other BFFs then.  I bet they’re worried about you.”


	2. Chapter 2

There was some discussion in the truck where they were actually going first.  Chloe wanted to go see what the hell was up with Kate and Victoria, but Max wanted to find her parents at the Two Whales first.  Max eventually managed to browbeat Chloe into calling her parents while she was in the hospital checking on Kate.

They encountered a slight bump in the plan when they discovered that the street leading to the hospital was absolutely packed.  Cars, buses, and more ambulances than either of them had ever seen in one place clogged the street, making it impossible to park within a block of the building.  Chloe eventually just threw up her hands and found the nearest spot by the street that she could actually manage to squeeze the truck in.  Then she waved Max off while she dug out her cell phone for what would hopefully be a fairly simple phone call.

The inside of the hospital wasn’t much better.  The lobby was packed with paramedics, nurses, and concerned family, all trying to find out what was going on.  Max managed to piece together from just what she could hear that they’d been in the middle of evacuating when the storm had just vanished.  Now everyone was running around, trying to make sure critical patients were still safe and families were trying to find their loved ones and make sure they were alright.

Max ducked around a very frazzled-looking nurse and made a beeline for the stairs.  She really didn’t want to try to fit into an elevator with a bunch of out of breath doctors and worried parents.  “Come on, please still be here,” she muttered to herself as she pushed through the door to the third floor.  It took a great deal of effort not to run down the hall, but she managed it until the last few yards before Kate’s door.  She nearly barreled into a group standing in front of the door that she vaguely recognized from a photo in Kate’s room.  “Uh, hi?”  Truly, Max Caulfield was a master of the first impression.

The older man, who she had to guess was Kate’s father, looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.  “Can we help you?” he asked gently.  “You look like you’re looking for someone.”

“I’m here to see Kate,” Max said quickly.  “You’re here for her too, right?”

The man’s eyes lit up.  “You must be Maxine!”  He smiled broadly and held out a hand.  “I’m Richard Marsh.  I don’t think we’ve met before, but I’ve heard quite a bit about you.  I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for my family.”

“Max, just Max,” the teen said, hesitating a moment before she took his hand.  Richard Marsh had a strong grip, but not a painful one, and a very enthusiastic handshake.  “It’s… great to meet you.”

“Yes, we can’t thank you enough.  I…”  The older woman stepped forward and Max immediately decided that Kate took more after her dad.  Her mother’s features were sharper, almost what she’d call severe.  But she also had bags under her eyes and a bit of red around the edges, like she’d been crying recently.  “I’m sorry, I’m doing this all wrong.  I’m Sarah Marsh, Kate Mother.”  She took Max’s hand and gave it one very light shake.  Then she looked into Max’s eyes.  “I think I see it.”

Max did her best not to recoil and put on a half-hearted smile.  “Uh… see what?”

“Kate said you were her angel,” her mother said softly.  “That you were the one sent to save her.  I think I see it now.  You have the kindest eyes.”  Max’s cheeks colored immediately.  “Thank you, so so much, for helping my daughter when I was being too stubborn to realize that she needed help.  You saved her in a way I couldn’t.”

Now Max was definitely blushing.  “Everyone’s been saying that I was a hero or whatever because I saved Kate,” she said.  “But I didn’t really help her all that much when she was hurting.  I just… did what I had to do when she was pushed too far.”

“First Thessalonians 5:18…”  Richard stopped as one of Max’s eyebrows went up.  Then he chuckled.  “Sorry, I’m too used to quoting scripture.  It reminds us to be thankful to those who work hard and do good.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a hero or a regular person, you did something that we’ll always be thankful for.”

Max would have really loved to stop blushing.  “Please stop.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Richard said.  “We’re keeping you from your visit, aren’t we?  We’ll be downstairs taking care of all the paperwork.  Hopefully we’ll be ready to go once you two are done your talk.”

The two adults moved past her down the hall, followed by their oldest daughter.  Their younger daughter stopped for a second in front of Max and threw her arms around her middle.  “Thank you for saving Kate,” she muttered into Max’s stomach.  Then she let go and raced to catch up with her family before the other girl could respond.

“People really need to stop calling me a superhero,” Max muttered to herself.  “Having super powers kind of sucks.”  She absently straightened her shirt and pushed open the door.

“Max!”  To be greeted by a beaming smile from Kate.  She had her hair done up in her usual style and she was dressed in actual clothes instead of the white hospital gown.  “I was so worried.”

“You really don’t need to worry about me.”  Max shut the door behind her.  “I’ve been through worse stuff than today.”

“That doesn’t make me less worried for you,” Kate said.  She crossed the room and pulled Max into a hug.  Max discovered that Kate gave very nice hugs.  They were warm and gentle and Kate’s hair smelled like something sweet and flowery.  It was a nice scent on her.  “You did something dangerous today, didn’t you?”

“Maybe a little,” Max admitted.  “I kinda… you remember all the stuff I told you about Chloe and Rachel and my… gift.”  Her head throbbed a little as she tried to remember exactly what Kate knew.  At least the pain wasn’t quite as debilitating anymore.

“Of course.”  Kate sat down on the bed and patted the covers beside her.

Max dropped heavily onto the mattress and sighed.  “Well, I don’t.  Not the right way anyway.”  Kate just gave her a mystified look.  “I think that the storm today kinda might’ve been something to do with my powers.  I don’t know why or how or… I actually really don’t know anything about my powers at all.  I thought… maybe if I went back and stopped myself from ever using my powers, it might fix it.”

“But wouldn’t that…”  Kate went very pale.  “You saved me and Chloe and so many other people.”

“I know,” Max groaned, flopping back on the bed.  “I couldn’t do that.  But everyone might have died anyway if I _didn’t_ do it.  So I did something hella crazy.”  Kate took her hand gently and pulled Max’s hand close to her.  The gentle touch helped calm Max’s racing heart.  “I think I broke time.  And when it got put back together it… I guess it made things better?”

Kate said nothing for a moment.  Maybe there wasn’t much too say.  Not everyone had become used to the weirdness in her life enough to just be okay with her breaking time.  Kate absently turned her cross in her hands, rubbing the metal between her thumb and forefinger.  “I can’t give you any answers you probably haven’t come up with yourself,” she said when she finally found her voice.  “But I think that if you weren’t supposed to help people, you never would have gotten your powers at all.  Maybe the storm was some kind of test.  Of your determination or your conviction or… something.  Or maybe it had nothing to do with your powers and it was just another thing that you could stop.  I don’t know how telling someone like me about your gift would be considered better though…”

Max put her other hand on top of Kate’s and sat up, holding the other girl’s hand between hers.  “Don’t start talking like that.  You never have to even _think_ like that.”

Kate’s cheeks colored a little and she looked away.  “Thank you Max.  I just… I keep thinking about you and how amazing you are and I’m so glad that you brought me back.  And it’s just been… difficult sometimes.  I feel so confused some days.”

Max pulled her closer and hugged her tight.  “You’re the amazing one Kate.  You’re one of my best friends.  Maybe my powers just decided that they were fixing one of my stupid mistakes and telling you something I should have told you ages ago.”

The two girls just sat there, holding each other for a few minutes while Kate took a few deep breaths and sniffled into Max’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry,” Kate said softly.  “I thought I was done crying for a while.  I don’t know what came over me.”

Max wasn’t exactly a professional at comforting people.  “You can always cry with me, okay?  I care about you.  So if you need to cry or whatever you can… invite me over for a tea date or something and just let it out.”  Wow, that sounded incredibly lame when she said it out loud.

It was hard to tell if Kate was blushing again or if she was just a little flushed from crying.  “I missed our tea dates,” she said.  “If it’s not too much trouble maybe we could spend some time together when I get back to school.”

“Absolutely,” Max promised.  “As soon as you get back.”

“Thank you Max.  I’ll be looking forward to it.”  Kate smiled and Max felt her heart jump a little bit.

She forced herself not to react for a second before she spoke again.  “Do you want me to go tell your parents you’re ready to go?  Or send them back up?”

Kate shook her head.  “I’d rather just walk down with you if that’s alright.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Are you sure you don’t want back-up for your meeting with Queen Victoria?” Chloe asked as she pulled to a stop in front of the Blackwell.

“I can handle it,” Max said, unhooking her seatbelt.  “And you don’t get out of going to see your parents that easily.  I’ll message you once I know what’s up.”

Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes.  “Fiiiine.  I’ll go check in with mom and step douche.  But if I don’t hear from you by later tonight, I’m breaking in to the dorms to find you.”

Max gave her a flat look.  “We already got the crazy guy arrested, remember?  I doubt Victoria’s going to chop me up into little bits.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”  Chloe grumbled a little but put the truck back in drive and headed downtown.  Max waved until she was out of sight then turned and walked toward the dorms.  Things seemed to have calmed down now that everyone was sure that the town wasn’t going to be flattened within the next ten minutes, but the campus was almost completely bare anyway.  The only people actually outside were a few teachers running around trying to make sure they knew where all the students were.

“Maxine.”  Max winced when she heard the familiar voice of the principal.

“Principal Wells.  Hi.”  Max flinched again, this time at her own words.

“I see you’re back in one piece.  That’s good.”  He didn’t actually sound all that happy to see her.

Max shrugged, trying to play it off cool.  “I was in town when the storm hit so I took shelter there.”

“With you accounted for, that means we’ve managed to make it through with no major injuries,” the administrator continued.  “I can’t ask for more than that in the face of a natural disaster I suppose.”  Max had a feeling that he was just glad not to have to report to any parents that their kids had gotten hurt on his watch.  “I would ask that you return to the dorms for the remainder of the day though.  At least until the state of emergency has ended.”

“I was just on my way there now.  So if you’ll excuse me…”  Max stepped around the tall man and bolted for the door.  Things were a little livelier inside.  The other students were hurrying back and forth through the halls, occasionally stopping to talk in small groups.  No one seemed to know what was actually going on, but the theories where… interesting.  Most people seemed to think that it was a normal natural disaster.  A few people thought it was some kind of secret test of some kind of super weapon gone out of control.  And there was at least one rumor going around that it was magic.

Max was almost relieved to see Warren talking quietly with Brooke in the corner.  “Hey.”  She gave a half-hearted wave as he turned his head.

“Max!  You’re alright.”  Warren’s face lit up for a moment.  “I don’t know what you did, but it must have worked.”

“I have no idea what I did either,” Max replied flatly.  “But no one died and everything is great, so I’m going with it.”  She looked over Warren shoulder and saw Brooke trying to keep a scowl off her face.  “Hey, I need to talk to Victoria.  Do you know where she is?”

Warren frowned.  “I still don’t know why you put up with her,” he muttered.  “But she’s probably in her room.”

Okay, so Warren clearly remembered something very different than what she did.  Was Chloe the only person who remembered the original timeline?  Did Chloe actually remember the original timeline, or would she have forgotten by the time Max saw her again?  “Right, I gotta jet.  You two have fun.”  She smiled at Brooke and rushed up the stairs before Warren could respond.  She hesitated when she stopped in front of Victoria’s door.  She really didn’t want to have to deal with this right now.  But putting it off would probably make it worse.  She knocked twice.

The door swung open so fast that Max’s third knock hit empty air.  “There you are.”  Victoria grabbed her by the sleeve and dragged her inside.  The door slammed shut behind them and Max suddenly found herself in a crushing hug.  “If you ever tell anyone I hugged you like that, I will ruin you,” Victoria said when she finally let Max go.

“Right,” Max deadpanned.  “Victoria…”

The blonde held up a finger to silence her.  “I’m still talking,” she said.  Max rolled her eyes and motioned for her to continue.  “You ran off with Chloe again, didn’t answer when I tried to call, and then the whole town nearly got blown up by a freak tornado.  You are the only person I know with weird supernatural bullshit, which means you have to know what’s going on.”

“Uh…”  Max suddenly felt very self-conscious.  “I kind of… broketimetosaveChloe.”  The words tumbled out in one long garbled string.

Victoria just stared at her for a second.  “Run that by me again?’

Max was sure she was blushing now.  “I broke time.  To save Chloe.  Again.”

The blonde just stared at her for a long moment.  “Oh my god.”  She covered her face and dropped heavily on her bed.  Then she just flopped back on the covered and groaned.  “When I said you better not have broken the universe, I was _supposed_ to be kidding.”  Max fought down a chuckle.  It was almost like she was talking to an entirely different person.  “Remind me why I haven’t super glued myself to you yet,” Victoria continued.  “Because every time you run off on your own, you get into trouble.”

“Because we’ve barely tolerated each other for…”  Max had to stop.  She had no idea how long they’d sort of, kind of gotten along.  Her head throbbed and another memory hit her like a bullet.

_She was alone in her room and… stressed over something.  She was trembling a little and her was trying to fan herself to cool off her burning face.  “Alright Max, alright.  It’s not the end of the world.  You did absolutely nothing wrong.”_

_She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock on the door.  “Open this door right now Smallfield!”_

_Max groaned and went to face her executioner.  She pulled open the door and Victoria promptly forced her way inside.  “Hey Victoria…”_

_Victoria raised a hand.  “I spent an hour figuring out what I was going to say.  You are going to stand there and let me say it.  Then you can talk.”  Max promptly shut her mouth.  “Okay, so you know how you asked me why I even dislike you?”_

_“I think I asked why you hate me.” Max offered._

_Victoria gave her a flat look.  “Why I dislike you,” she repeated firmly.  “And I realized… I kind of don’t.”_

_Max looked back with a matching flat stare.  “So all of the putdowns and insults and one-ups in class were your way of making friends?”_

_“Would you stop making this harder for me?” Victoria said.  She took a deep breath and composed herself.  “There are days when I really want to hate you, but it’s so hard to actually do it.  I might have… overcompensated a little bit trying to make myself believe it.”_

_“Okay…”  Max was just feeling mystified at this point.  She wondered if she’d fallen asleep while she was worrying and was dreaming this.  She was almost sure she was going to regret it, but she had to ask.  “So why do you want to hate me then?”_

_“Because you drive me crazy sometimes,” Victoria snapped.  Max recoils slightly as the blonde scowled.  “You don’t care about being popular, but you get along with almost everyone at least a little.  You’re horribly out of fashion, but you’re completely at ease with yourself.  You’re afraid to hand your pictures in, but Jefferson never stops gushing about how talented you are.  He’d probably be asking to kiss those tacky sneakers you wear everywhere if he could get away with it.”_

_“Okay, did not need that mental image,” Max said with a shudder.  She respected the hell out of Mr. Jefferson, but she really did not need to think about him like that._

_Victoria rolled her eyes.  “So not the point.”  She rubbed her temple.  “The point is that you absolutely infuriate me because it’s so easy for you to do the same things that I have to fight for all of the time.”_

_“So you’re a bitch because we like the same things and you’re jealous?”  Max felt a little disappointed.  She had to be dreaming this part._

_“You could put it that way,” Victoria admitted.  “In private.  If you repeat a word of any of this in public, I’ll deny everything.”  Then she shoulders slumped.  “My parents always told me that you have to cut a rival off at the root, but you never seemed to notice that I even thought of you like that, so I don’t know why I bothered.”_

_Max shook herself.  “You really shouldn’t have.”_

_Victoria sighed.  “I probably shouldn’t have.  And I might have taken things a little too far today, so I’m sorry for that.”_

_The brunette bristled.  “Then you should be out apologizing to Kate, not me.”_

_Victoria flinched slightly.  “I’m going to do that next,” she promised.  “Look, I’m not having this whole heart to heart thing for fun.  I’m trying to put this behind us.  Maybe… try to start fresh.”_

_Max just stared at her for a few moments.  Victoria had been a bitch for as long as she’d known her.  But she sounded more sincere now than she’d ever heard before too.  “Apologize to Kate and I’ll be willing to try being something other than enemy rival… whatevers.”_

_Victoria smiled a surprisingly soft smile.  “Thanks Max.  You know, you’re cooler than you let on.”_

Max shook her head to clear it.  That certainly helped explain things, but it didn’t exactly tell her when it had happened.  Max looked up and realized Victoria was giving her an odd stare.  “Not long,” she finished lamely.

Victoria glared at her.  “Look, if we’re going to try to be friends, I can and will be worried when Fisher Price drags you into something and makes a mess of things.”

“Hey!”  Max felt the need to be offended on Chloe’s behalf.  “You know, if you want to get along, you could start by not insulting my other friends.”

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “When Price decides to stop being such a burned out pain in the ass, I will consider liking her more.”

Max slowly counted to three.  “We agreed you’d be less bitchy, right?  Can we please do that for like ten minutes?”

The blond pouted.  “Fine.  I’ll lay off your personal stoner for a while.  And stop distracting me from the fact that you broke the time space continuum to save her ass.  You’re lucky the universe didn’t implode.”

“I’m not sure my powers can actually do that,” Max said, sounding far less sincere than she’d hoped.  “But I don’t think I’ll ever have to do it again.  Probably.  I’m sorry that I worried you though.  I didn’t really think you’d get worried about me honestly.”

Victoria just huffed.  “We’re trying to be friends.  Of course I worry about my friends.”

Max actually smiled.  It was refreshing to have a civil conversation with Victoria.  “I’ll try to call you next time we have a crazy time traveling adventure,” she said with a smile.  She turned stepped back and turned the nob to let herself out.

“You better,” Victoria shot back.  “Otherwise I’m going to actually get angry next time.”  She turned her nose up dramatically, but it just looked silly when she was trying that hard.  “See you later Maxine.”

“Max!” Max shot back as the blonde ushered her out the door.  “Not Maxine, just Max.”


	4. Chapter 4

Max was pretty sure she was dreaming.  She was getting pretty good at recognizing when thing were real or not after all of the dreams and nightmares and visions and other weird bullshit she had to deal with on a regular basis now.  This one did feel a little different though.  It wasn’t a nightmare like her last few dreams or a weird prophecy.  It felt more like a memory of something that had already happened.

She recognized the hospital room after only a moment.  The stark white was thankfully broken up by piles of get well gifts.  Flowers, balloons, cards, and drawings utterly littered the nightstand and walls.  She looked across the room and saw herself.  Watching herself from an outside view was a little freaky.  She could sort of remember being here, but she was also watching it like it was someone else and…  She forced herself not to think too hard about it.  Her powers gave her enough headaches already.  It was a relief that they were at least being helpful enough to fill in the gaps this time.

She watched as she sat close to Kate, watching her while she sketched something that she steadfastly refused to let her see until it was done.  Finally, the shy church girl set down her pencil and turned the picture to show her.  It was a pencil drawing of Max, carefully shaded so that it looked like light was coming from above her somewhere.  Wings spread out from her back and the words ‘My Angel’ were written across the bottom of the page in looping cursive.

Both memory Max and regular Max blushed the picture.  Then the memory Max smiled and took one of Kate’s hands with a wordless smile.  Max couldn’t help thinking that maybe she was holding Kate’s hand for a bit too long.  And looking deep in her eyes a little more than was probably appropriate.  And… oh my.  Max’s face turned bright red as the memory and Kate leaned together and their lips met.  Max was hit with a barrage of feelings as the memory finally came back to her entirely.  She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and the blood rushing to her face.  She could smell Kate soft, flowery shampoo and feel her breath on her skin just before their lips met.  She even remembered the very faint minty taste on Kate’s lips.

It was significantly different from Chloe’s kiss.  Chloe had been fast, rough, and a little desperate.  Kate was soft and gentle.  And there was a certainly tentativeness to the kiss, like neither of them was really sure if they should be doing it or not.  Not that that stopped the tingling sensation that ran through her whole body.

“Wow.”  Max wasn’t sure if it was the memory or her actual lips that said it, but everything sort of faded out before she could put it together.

A new memory quickly took its place, once again forcing the teen to watch herself.  She was walking across Blackwell’s campus and looked like she’d just been through Hell.  Her face was flushed and her pants were stained with mud and one of her knees looked like it had been bleeding.  She could feel the exhaustion and soreness settle down on her the moment she saw herself.  There was even a slight limp to her walk as she made her way toward the dorms.

“Oh my god.”  Max watched as Victoria stormed toward her.  That wasn’t all that odd of a sight.  The concerned look on her face was significantly newer to Max.  “Are you okay?”

Memory Max grunted in pain as Victoria grabbed her and began looking over her.  “I’ve been better,” Max replied, trying rather badly to sound flippant.  “Were you waiting for me?”

Victoria quickly regained her usual composure, letting Max go and stepping back.  “You’re kind of trending.”  She held out her phone and Max recognized the Twitter logo across the top of the screen.  Then she recognized her own face on the top of the page with two police officers keeping an eye on her.  The next image clearly showed two different officers escorting Mark Jefferson to a squad car.

Max groaned and buried her face in her hands.  “Oh dog, please tell me I’m not going to be an internet celebrity.”

Victoria scoffed.  “Even you’re not that unlucky.  But the entire school knows that Jefferson did something and now he’s being questioned for a bunch of crazy shit.  So I hope you’re ready to answer a lot of questions.”

Max winced.  “Can you use your magic popularity powers to just… make them go away or something?” she asked desperately.

The blonde rolled her eyes.  “If it was that easy, I wouldn’t have to work as hard as I do to stay at the top of the totem pole.”  Max’s shoulders slumped.  “But I might be able to run interference for you for tonight if you can promise me one thing.”

Max winced a second time.  “What?”

“Promise me you’ll stop doing stupid things and getting in trouble.”  Victoria punctuated her sentence by jabbed Max’s collarbone with her finger.  “I’m going to lose it if I keep worrying about you.”

“Thanks mom,” Max deadpanned.  “I didn’t know you cared.”  Victoria scoffed and grabbed Max by the arm, dragging her around the side of the building so they were out of sight.  “Ow, ow, kidding.”

Victoria shoved Max up against the side wall of the dorm.  “Stop talking.”

Max promptly shut up.  Then Victoria rammed her lips against hers.  The kiss was rough and commanding, demanding that Max accept it.  The brunette was baffled for a few seconds before she folded like a paper cup.  She actually felt a little tongue before Victoria finally let her breathe properly again.  Her blood was pounding in her ears and she could feel excited tingling straight down to her toes.  “Wowser.  That’s a lot of care.”

“Despite my better judgment,” Victoria said flatly, though there wasn’t an ounce of venom in her voice.  “And you are absolutely not allowed to tell anyone I just did that until I say you can.”

“I don’t think anyone would believe me if I told them anyway,” Max replied.  Things started to go hazy again and the scene behind the dorms faded away.

The brunette groaned as her eyes fluttered open.  She felt around for her clock for a moment and smacked her head against the pillows when she saw the time.  “I so do not need this right now.”  She rubbed her eyes and tried to just roll over and pretend she hadn’t woken up.  But the dream memories refused to leave her head.  Particularly the feeling of soft lips on hers and the warm feeling flooding her body.  “I hate my powers,” Max muttered, rubbing her eyes again as she felt around for her phone.

 **Max** : Chloe, I think I screwed up.

Two Whales for lunch tomorrow.

And I’m bringing Victoria and Kate.

We need to talk.

\---------------------------------

Max had never actually been inside Victoria’s car before and she couldn’t help thinking how different it was from riding in Chloe’s truck.  It was certainly nice, but she kept feeling like she was going to hit her head against the roof.  She wasn’t even that tall.  It was almost a relief to finally reach the diner.  Almost.

Any sense of relief vanished as soon as she walked in and saw Chloe and Kate already waiting for them at one of the booths, sitting directly across from each other.  “Hey there Maxipad.”  Chloe waved in their direction.  “Bitch Queen.”

“Keri,” Victoria said flatly as she slid into the booth next to Kate and as far away from Chloe as she could manage without being at a different table entirely.  “Please tell me you don’t actually call her that all the time.”

“Not one of my best one-liners,” Chloe admitted.

Max sighed and slid in next to Chloe, putting her directly across from Victoria.  “Can you two please not?  I just want to talk for like five minutes.”

“Max has a point,” Kate said gently.  “Is it really that hard to be kind to each other one time?”

Victoria huffed and crossed her arms.  “Fine,” she muttered.  “As long as she stops being aggravating.”

“Only for you sweetheart,” Chloe said as she made exaggerated kissy lips.

“How about we just order food?” Max cut in before they could start on each other again.

There was a little grumbling from both of them, but they eventually stopped sniping at each other and picked up their menus.  Eventually they all had their orders in and the table fell into an uneasy silence.  “Why don’t you start while we’re waiting,” Kate finally suggested.

Max really, really didn’t want to start.  “Fine.”  She took a minute to compose herself and try to think of a way to explain herself that wouldn’t piss everyone else at the table off.  Or at least wouldn’t earn her the sad eyes.  Kate’s sad eyes could make her feel like a complete asshole without a single word attached.  “Okay, so we’re all… friends?”

“Well, you’re my friend,” Chloe said.  “And Kate is pretty awesome.”

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “I would like you more if you were less obnoxious.  You’re lucky I like Max as much as I do.”

Max really hoped that none of them saw her blushing.  “Anyway,” Max interrupted again.  “We’ve helped each other a lot during the last week.  And I feel like I’ve gotten really close to all of you.”

“Look, if you’re going to be sappy or whateves, that’s cool,” Chloe said.  “But did you have to drag us all to lunch for that?”

Kate smiled softly.  “I don’t know, I think it’s kind of nice.”

Max was definitely blushing too much for them not to notice now.  “That… it is nice.  But that’s not what I meant.”  She took a deep breath.  Better to just get it over with.  “I mean.  I like you all.  A lot.  And I kinda… might have made out with all of you.  And I kinda like it.  A lot.”

There was resounding silence around the table for a few seconds.  “That’s not really surprising,” Victoria finally said.

“Wait, what?” Chloe blurted out.

The blonde just rolled her eyes.  “Oh please.  You’re not that dense.  Anyone’s who’s talked to you for ten minutes can tell that Max would have to have a thing for you to put up with your bullshit.  And I’ve heard her talk about Kate’s being a ‘beautiful person’ one too many times not to notice.  I’m surprised the whole school hasn’t noticed.”

“And you’re just hot enough stuff that her liking you is obvious?” the bluenette deadpanned.

Victoria smiled smugly.  “Well, I wasn’t going to say that, but if you think I’m so hot, who am I to argue?”

Chloe’s mouth snapped shut and she grumbled under her breath.  “This is still kinda bullshit,” she finally said.  “If this is some kind of pick one deal, I’m gonna get pissed off.”

Max could feel all three of them staring at her.  “Not exactly.  I just thought you all deserved to know what happened.”

There was another very long moment of silence.  “Can we have a minute?” Victoria asked.  “Just… go check on lunch.  Or borrow one of Price’s blunts and go mellow out or something.”

“Sure.”  Max got up from her seat.  “Just… don’t start fighting the second I walk away.”

“They can be nice,” Kate assured her.  “Right?”  Somehow the soft-spoken girl’s firm look was far more mollifying than it had any right to be and Max reluctantly left the group to talk amongst themselves.

“So, I’m going to assume that you both actually like Max back, right?” Victoria said as soon as the door of the dinner swung closed.  “Like, this isn’t some one-sided crush thing where she’s freaking out over nothing.”  Both of the other girls nodded.  “Great.  Can we also agree that fighting over her would be incredibly stupid so we can do something other than that?”

“Yeah, I would love to not do that,” Chloe agreed.  “But that doesn’t actually solve the whole ‘Max has three babes all over her’ problem.”

“There are so many guys who wouldn’t consider that a problem,” Victoria muttered.

Kate looked down, folding her hands in her lap and staring firmly at them.  “I know that Max means a lot to you,” she said.  “I don’t want to be some kind of… homewrecker.”

“No, no no no,” Victoria said firmly.  “You do not think like that.  It is perfectly fine for you to like Max back.  You have as much right to care about her as either of us.”

Kate’s cheeks colored a bit.  “Sorry.  It’s just that… I haven’t even been able to tell my parents that I like Max.  My mother just started to get better around me and I don’t know what will happen if I have to tell her that I’m interested in girls.  I think dad would be okay with Max, but even he might not be okay with me being in a relationship with more than one person involved.”

“Whoa, wait,” Chloe interrupted.  “More than one person?”

Kate squeaked.  “I didn’t mean… it sounds like I’m talking about a trashy romance novel when I say it like that.  I wasn’t trying to…”

“I’ve heard worse ideas,” Victoria said with a shrug.

“What?”  Chloe couldn’t keep the disbelief out of her voice.  “Wait, back up.  You actually think that…”  She fumbled around for a good word for a few seconds.  “ _Sharing_ isn’t completely wack?”

“Well you being involved sours it a little…”  Chloe just rolled her eyes and gave Victoria a glare.  “But frankly I can see it working out.  It’s not like Kate isn’t utterly adorable anyway.  Not that I really deserve ten minutes with her after everything, but still.”

Kate gave her mouse impression another try.  “Victoria!”  She buried her very red face in her hands.  “That’s so… taboo.”

“I was gonna say that’s some seriously kinky shit,” Chloe said.  “So what, you want to bring Max back in here and tell her that we’re chill with her making the kissy-kissy with all of us and that we’ve decided we’re all going to date?”

Victoria shrugged.  “Well, if you want to beat around the bush, you can, but I’d rather not waste my time.”

“We’re actually considering this,” Chloe muttered.  “What the actual fuck?”

Victoria crossed her arms and gave her a flat stare.  “If you have a better idea, I’m listening.”

Kate just looked down and tried to control her blushing while Chloe crossed her arms and pouted.  “Fine.  But only if Max is as in to this as you are.”

Now the blonde just looked smug.  “I’ll be right back with the star of the show.”


	5. Chapter 5

Max had to check to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming again.  The current situation seemed so surreal that it was hard to imagine it was anything else.  It had only been a few days since she’d even considered that she might be down with some girl on girl action.  The fact that she was now sitting at a table with three girls who were apparently willing to share seemed like the start of a bad porno.  Not that she watched that sort of thing of course.

“Do I get any say in this?” she asked.

“Nope,” Chloe replied as she took a sip from her drink.

Kate’s cheeks colored a little.  “That’s not really fair…”

“She’ll try to say no if we do,” Victoria added.  She swirled her tea and took a sip.

Max was about to reply, but the words died on her lips.  “Well, a normal person would,” she finally protested.

Chloe laughed.  “Nothing about you is normal anymore Mega Max.  That time is long past.  But look on the bright side.  You get a bunch of hotties out of it.”  She put on her best pouty lip.  “Unless you don’t like me anymore.”

Max fought to avoid looking for a few moments, but ultimately caved.  “That’s cheating and you know it.”

The bluenette shrugged.  “Since when have I played fair?”  She smirked and leaned in close.  “But not complaining does have some side benefits.”

Max flushed when she realized that Chloe’s face was very close to hers.  She had a feeling that she knew what was coming, but she had to ask.  “What might those be?”  Chloe just kept smirking and leaned in.  Max swore she felt a spark jump between them as their lips met and Chloe kissed her.  It was softer than the last time, but more insistent.  Chloe refused to release her lips until she parted them and let Chloe’s tongue flick into her mouth.  “Oh.”

Max felt her face turn bright red as there was a small cough across the table and she spun to see Victoria and Kate both watching very closely.  Kate was blushing nearly as dark as she was and trying to look like she wasn’t looking.  The image fell apart rather quickly when her eyes kept darting back to Max’s lips.  Victoria just sat there and scoffed.  “I hope you’re not going to hog her all day,” Victoria said.

“Well, you gotta start with the best, right?” Chloe said with a smug smile.

The blonde rolled her eyes.  “It’s ‘save the best for last’, nitwit.”  She got out of her seat and circled around the table.  “Allow me to explain the difference.”  Max turned just in time to see Victoria’s lips coming to meet hers.  The blonde was less forceful and more… coaxing.  Her tongue glided along Max’s lips in little strokes until she caved and allowed Victoria to ravage her mouth for a few seconds.

It took Max a few seconds to respond to that one.  “Wow.”

“Eh, I think your technique might be a little lacking,” Chloe said smugly.  “But it was a good effort.”

Victoria scoffed.  “Like you know anything about my technique.”

“You could find out,” Max suggested with a smug smile.  Both other girls took a second to process that statement.  Then they hurriedly turned away from each other, blushing furiously.  Max chuckled as Victoria resolutely stormed back to her seat and sat back down, refusing to look directly at Chloe.  “I’ll take that as a no.”

Kate of all people finally broke the silence as she started giggling.  “You're awful,” she told the other brunette though her chuckles.

Chloe pouted, but she couldn’t quite keep her lips from twitching up into a smile.  “Okay, you got us,” she said with a small chuckle.  Even Victoria couldn’t fight back a small smirk and she settled back into her seat, looking significantly less annoyed.

The girls were interrupted as their lunches finally arrived.  Max and Chloe took nearly identical hamburgers while Kate took a turkey club sandwich and Victoria picked up a large salad with grilled chicken.  “Somehow I’m not surprised that you favor rabbit food,” Chloe said as Victoria took a measured bite of her meal.

“Can you please not snipe at each other over everything?” Max asked.  She was fairly certain that it was going to be a frequent request, but she had to at least try.

“There’s nothing wrong with rabbit food,” Kate said absently as she munched on her sandwich.  “I think rabbits are cute.  Especially the way they nibble in little bites.”  Victoria swallowed very hard and promptly broke out coughing as her cheeks colored again.

“Church girl knows how to flirt,” Chloe teased.  “Nice.”

A matching blush immediately sprang to Kate’s cheeks.  “No!  I mean… I was talking about Alice.  Not that I don’t think Victoria can be cute…”  She buried her face in her hands and just stopped talking.

“Thank you Katie,” Victoria said, patting her gently on the back of the hand.  “I appreciate the thought.”  She leaned over and kissed Kate on the cheek.

Kate looked distinctly faint for a second, but managed to right herself after a few moments.  “You’re welcome,” she mumbled.

The table fell silent again for a few minutes as everyone focused on their food.  No one seemed quite willing to break the silence again.  Eventually, Max couldn’t take just sitting there surrounding by three girls shooting her looks they thought were subtle.  “So… I heard that classes are going to start up again tomorrow,” she finally said, trying to find something to talk about.

Kate nodded.  “The school called my parents this morning.  I’m staying home for the rest of the week to finish recovering then I’m going to be coming back.”

“You sure you want to go back to that place?” Chloe asked before popping a couple of fries in her mouth.  “Because it kinda sucks.”

Kate nodded again, determination bright in her eyes.  “I won’t run away anymore.  Not from my problems, and not from the people who tried to hurt me.  And my friends will be there so…”

Max reached across the table and squeezed her hand.  “Always.”

“If you need anything at all,” Victoria added.  “We _will_ be right there.”

“Man, it’s not fair.”  Chloe leaned back and folded her arms behind her head.  “You three are all shacked up in your hoity-toity prep school and I’m stuck alone with mom and step-douche.  I hope you don’t mind, but I’m kidnapping at least Max as much as I can.  Otherwise I’m going to go batshit by the time the semester is over.”

“As long as you don’t get her arrested or almost killed again, I don’t care,” Victoria said.  “Unless you get in the way of any plans I have.  I’ll care quite a bit more if you interrupt us.”

Chloe rolled her eyes.  “Don’t worry princess.  I’ll make sure not to swoop in and steal Max away while you’re busy eating her out.”

Victoria nearly choked on her next bite, causing both Kate and Max jumped in their seats.  “Price!” the blonde snarled after she managed to clear her airway.

“What?” Chloe said.  “If we’re gonna be doing this group dating… thing, having sexy times is definitely on the agenda for somewhere down the road, right?  We’re teenagers, not nuns.”  Her eyes flicked over to Kate.  “No offense.”

“None taken,” Kate replied softly, recovering from her momentary surprise.

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “I think that would be up to Max.”

Max felt slightly uncomfortable as she realized that all three of them were staring at her.  “Uh… probably… eventually… I guess.”  She sounded even less confident than she felt.

“Eh, we can worry about that later,” Chloe said with a dismissive wave.  “So long as we get plenty of kisses in the meantime.”

“Yes!” Max said far too quickly.  “Yes, absolutely.”

Chloe smiled smugly.  “Sounds good to me Super Max.”

Max decided to just focus on stuffing the last couple bites of her burger into her mouth and trying not to think too hard about… things.  Not that she didn’t want to do… things with Chloe.  But she wanted to have time to do some research on how to do things properly before she actually made a move.

Victoria absently wiped her mouth then dug into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone.  A small frown crossed her face as she tapped the screen.  “While I would love to keep talking about this, I did have plans for today before you called.  Sorry, but I have to go.”  She looked up at Max.  “Do you need a ride back to Blackwell, or are you going to hang out for a while?”

“I think I’m gonna hang for a while,” Max said.  “I really, really just want to relax after the last couple of days.”

“I think I should be getting home too,” Kate said as she folded her napkin onto her nearly empty plate.  “I promised I wouldn’t stay out too long.  And I think I’m going to have to find a way to tell my dad about all of this.”

“One sec,” Max said.  She hopped out of her seat as Kate and Victoria shimmied out of their side of the booth.  “Chloe and Victoria got something you haven’t yet.”  Then she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Kate’s lips.  They both had a small flush when the parted and Max could feel her lips tingling slightly from the contact.  “I’ll… talk to you later, okay?”

Kate nodded quickly.  “I’ll message and tell you how dad takes it.”  The brunette quickly rushed past her, trying to hide her goofy smile under her hand.

“Dorks, the lot of you,” Victoria said, with a surprisingly gentle smile.  “Later Max.  Price.”

Chloe snickered and flipped off Victoria from behind as she left.  “Well, if I’ve got you all to myself finally, where we headed?  I’m guessing the beach is out.  And probably the forest and the junkyard.”  The punk fell silent for a moment.  “Man, all the good places have shitty memories attached now.  This town sucks sometimes.”

“How about we just go for a drive?” Max suggested.

Chloe wiggled her eyebrows.  “You want me to drive you wild, huh?  I’m down for that.”

Even Max had to groan at that.  “You’re awful.”

Chloe loudly gulped down the last of her drink.  “You love me anyway.  Let’s hit the road.”


	6. Chapter 6

“A national park, huh?”  Max hopped down from the truck and looked around.  “We hang out a lot of places, but I never pictured you for the nature trail type.”

Chloe kicked the driver’s door shut behind her and clicked the lock shut.  “I’m really not, but this place is kinda special.  And I haven’t been here in a long time.”  She fell silent for a few moments, staring up the mountain.  “Come on.  Let me show you the best spot in the park.”

Max cocked her head curiously, but followed along as the blue-haired girl led them away from the parking lot and up the hill overlooking the rest of the park.  They were far enough away that the forest had escaped any serious damage from the storm, leaving the trees still standing tall and proud around them.  It should have seemed like a peaceful diversion after the last few days, but Max found her eyes drawn back to Chloe.  The other girl seemed to get progressively more intense as they walked and by the time they reached the top of the hill, her arms were crossed and her whole body was wound tight.  _“I wonder what crawled up her butt.”_   She crossed the overlook and joined Chloe at the edge.  “So… what makes this place to special?”

Chloe didn’t say anything for a second as she leaned against the wall.  “The first day I actual met Rachel, she brought me out here.  Like, I knew that she existed before that, but when we actually got to know each other, we cut class and came out here to fuck around.”

Max flinched.  Everything seemed to come back to Rachel in the end.  “Sorry.”  She sighed and sat down on the stone wall next to her girlfriend.  There was a moment of mutual silence before she dared to ask another question.  “There a reason you decided to bring us someplace with shitty memories anyway?  Or just feeling the nostalgia?”

Chloe forced a smile and playfully punched Max’s shoulder.  “Not all my memories of her are bad you know.  Maybe I just wanted to show you somewhere that’s special to me.”

“You.  Being sentimental?”  Max put on a look of dubious mistrust.

The bluenette just rolled her eyes.  “Hey, I’m trying to have a moment here.  I don’t do this romance novel shit often, so you could at least play along.”

Max laughed.  “My apologies, Lady Chloe.”  She cleared her throat and put on her best snobby falsetto.  “Oh thank you, true love of my heart.  Thank you for bringing me to this beautiful place so dear to you and sharing part of yourself with me.”

She could tell that Chloe was trying very hard not to smile and failing miserably.  “You suck,” she finally said visibly trying not to laugh.

“You usually lick the parts I prefer,” Max said with a cheeky smile.

That finally put the other girl over the edge.  The tension all just dropped out of Chloe’s body as she broke down laughing.  “Did Max Caulfield just make a sex joke?  And step-dick says I can’t be a good influence.  He can kiss my ass.”  Then she wrinkled her nose like she’d smelled something bad.  “Ugh, on second thought, I’d rather not have him anywhere near my ass.  You’re welcome there any time though.”  She shot an exaggerated wink in Max’s direction.

That got Max going too and for a moment the only sound was there shared laughter.  “I do mean it,” she finally said when she got her giggles under control.  “Thanks.  For bringing me somewhere important to you.  It’s probably not easy being the place where you and Rachel became… friends?”

Chloe chuckled one more time.  “Just friends here.  We did the whole first kiss thing somewhere else.”  She looked back out over the wall, staring down at the trails and pond beneath them.  On any other day, it would probably be filled with people exploring the trails or jogging or whatever people did at a park.  Chloe’s expression had turned serious again, but now it was more wistful than tense.

Max hesitated again.  She was almost tempted to pull out her camera and take a picture of Chloe’s expression.  There was something about it that made her look beautiful in the afternoon sun.  Maybe it was just how different she looked than usual.  “Want to share?  Or is that to heavy?”

“Nah, it’s cool.”  Chloe turned around and hopped up on the wall, sitting on the grey stone.  “I’m not gonna let that shit weigh me down anymore.  You put in way too much effort saving my sorry ass for me to bitch about what’s gone down.”

“You don’t need to thank me for that,” Max said immediately.

Chloe’s lips twitched into a smile.  “Not quite what I meant.  You saved me from getting killed a bunch, sure, but you also saved me from being stuck in all that self-destructive bullshit I was into.  I’d been running in circles since I lost Rachel and you grabbed on and wouldn’t let go.  So thanks.  For saving me from me.  And saving me from those other jackasses too.  I still appreciate the actual lifesaving.”

Max gasped dramatically.  “Chloe, I am so sorry.”

The blue-haired girl just looked baffled.  “What?”

Max couldn’t keep the smile off her face.  “I had no idea that rewriting time would mess up your personality so much.  I promise; I’ll do everything I can to fix it.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open and she sputtered for a second.  “Jerk,” she finally managed.  “I was being serious here.”

Max just kept smiling and nudged her shoulder.  “I know.  And I still don’t need you to thank me for not wanting you to die.”

“Well, you might have been the only person in town who cared enough to try,” Chloe said, a self-depreciating smile on her face.  “So I’m gonna do it anyway.”

“I love you too,” Max said, leaning against Chloe’s shoulder and pressing her cheek against her body.

“Dork,” Chloe muttered.  Then she leaned in and kissed Max softly, letting their lips linger together for a few moments before they separated again.

Max grinned like a fool.  “So… first kiss.  Better than me?  Worse?  I guessing it was a bit less dramatic.”

Chloe groaned.  “You really want to hear about it?”  She leaned back and braced herself before letting out a long sigh.  “Well, it was different.  There was still a lot of drama though.  Granted it was more family drama than, you know, end of the world supernatural drama.  Rachel had some family shit going on and I was pretty much done at Blackwell.  So one night there was this big play at the school and she kinda dragged me into helping out.  It was dumb and we ended up playing this weird romance-y thing on stage.  But on the way home afterwards we were just… talking.  About school, about how we both just wanted to get the hell out of this town and never look back.  We ended up just standing under a street light and I told her… I told her that I wanted her to prove that she meant it.  And then it just happened.”

Max didn’t say anything for a long moment, picturing the scene in her head.  “And you said you don’t do romance novel crap,” she replied.  “Because that sounds exactly like one of those cheesy first kiss scenes.”

“I don’t do romance novel crap _intentionally_ ,” Chloe corrected herself.  “And maybe it was a little cheesy, but it was still fun.”

Max certainly wasn’t going to argue with that.  “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Don’t you dare fucking rewind on me,” Chloe cut in before Max could get out another word.  “Losing Rachel sucked and she meant a lot, but I’m not going to hide the shit that happened between us.  We were super gay together, and now I’m super gay with you, and I’m cool with that.”

“Good,” Max said firmly.  “Otherwise all of the kissing so far would have been really awkward.”

“Yeah, that would blow, wouldn’t it?”  Chloe grinned and leaned in for another kiss.  Max returned it eagerly, tilting her head and wrapping one around around the bluenette’s waist to hold her closer.

Max pulled away first, a small frown on her face.  “Are you really okay with all this?”

“Didn’t I just say that?” Chloe replied dryly.

The brunette shook her head.  “No, I meant… the whole ‘other girls’ thing.  With Victoria and Kate and everything.”

Chloe sighed and bounced her heels against the wall.  “Honestly?  It’s hella weird.  I can appreciate finding some of the other ladies attractive.  Like, I get thinking Kate’s cute and she’s super sweet, but Victoria’s still kinda a bitch to everyone who’s not you two.  But thinking about you dating a bunch of us at once is kinda wigging me out.”

Max shrunk a little bit.  “If you’re not cool with it, I can talk to them when we get back to town.”

Chloe hopped up and spun around so she was standing face to face with Max.  “I’m not mad about it.  Picturing you with Kate doesn’t make my go crazy with jealousy or some weird shit like that.  Hell, I wouldn’t mind turning Kate into the meat of a sexy lady sandwich.”  Max just rolled her eyes and groaned.  “I might even tolerate Victoria if she could keep her mouth shut.  But thinking about you with them doesn’t make me mad.”  She stepped closer and Max realized that Chloe was very, very close to her by now.  The other girl set her hands on her shoulders.  “It kinda makes me want to pin your down and kiss you more.  And maybe do a few other things while we’re at it.”

Max felt the blood rush to her face.  “Other things, huh?”

“Well, maybe not right now,” Chloe said.  “I’m not that much of an exhibitionist.  But as soon as I get you alone…”  She leaned over so her lips were right next to her girlfriend’s ear.  “There’s all sorts of things I can do.”

Max yelped and jolted backwards, pulling away from the other girl with her face burning.  She flailed a little as she nearly fell backwards off the wall, her arms shooting out to try to brace her before she tumbled down the hill.  Then she saw the cheeky grin on Chloe’s face.  “You…”  She sputtered, trying to come up with some response.

The blue-haired girl’s grin grew even wider.  “What?  If we’re gonna be together, I’m definitely gonna have plenty of fun with it.”  She hauled Max back up so she was steady again.

Max groaned.  “I asked for this by not standing up to you three, didn’t I?”

“Yup,” Chloe said brightly.  “Don’t sweat it babe.  I promise that you’ll have plenty of fun too.”  Chloe hopped back onto the wall and threw an arm around Max’s shoulders.

Max smiled and leaned against Chloe.  “I could use some fun after the last week.”

Chloe smirked.  “Then we should get started.”


	7. Chapter 7

“No, no, no.”  Victoria huffed and put a hand on Max’s shoulder to pull her aside.  “You’re putting the streamers too close together.  We’re trying to be festive, not just tacky.”

Max sighed and stepped back so the blonde could reposition the decorations to her liking.  “Do you actually need me here for this?  You seem to know what you’re doing without my help.”

“Well, someone has to hold the streamers in place while I tape them up.”

Max wasn’t sure if she should sigh or just roll her eyes, so she did both before she took the streamers back and let Victoria tape them in place.  She hopped down from the stepladder just as her phone beeped and and flicked the screen up.  “Oh, it’s Chloe.  Hang on a sec.”

**Chloe** : hey is Katie there yet?

**Max** : Not yet.

We’re just finishing decorating.

**Chloe** : awesome sauce

ill be there soon with some good stuff

then we can really get the party started

**Max** : No pot at Kate’s party.

**Chloe** : boooooo!

buzzkill

i guess ill just have to bring a bunch of shitty movies for us to veg on then

**Max** : Much better.

See you soon sweetie <3

**Chloe** : god damnit Max

“Chloe’s on her way,” she said as she dropped her phone back into her pocket.  “Let’s hurry up and finish.”  She grabbed one end of the banner with a little more eagerness than necessary and unfolded the long piece of paper.  **Welcome Back Kate!** was written across the front, with signatures from everyone in the dorm jammed into every free inch of blank space around the block letters.  Victoria took one end and she took the other, hopping up onto the bed.  The pair carefully pulled the banner tight and let it hang across the middle of the room.

Victoria spent a moment looking around and taking stock of all of the decorations hanging from the walls.  Multicolored streamers crisscrossed the ceiling and a few sparkling ribbons hung down from their ends to draw the eye.  “There.  I suppose that’s adequate.”  She absently straightened her sweater and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  “I’ll grab the snacks from my room.”

Max nodded and glanced at her phone again.  “I’ll go wait at the door for Chloe.  If we leave her standing around too long, she might decide to try to break in.”

“One second,” Victoria said as she passed Max on her way to the door.  Then she leaned in and kissed Max right on the lips.  Max stiffened for just a second in surprise before she relaxed into the kiss and came away with a smile.  “There, now you can go.”

Max forced the goofy grin off of her face and hurried toward the stairs.  She took the steps two at a time and nearly ran straight into Dana coming up the stairs from the bottom as she hit the landing.  “Oh, hey.”

“Hey Max,” Dana said.  “Is Kate here yet?”

Max shook her head.  “Not yet.  You stopping by once she gets in?”

The cheerleader smiled and lifted up a box.  “I got her a little something as a welcome back.”  She opened the flap on top and revealed pile of fuzzy light brown fur.  It took Max a second to realize that it was a huge stuffed rabbit.

Max picked up the stuffed animal and turned it over in her hands.   “Oh dog, that’s perfect.  She’ll love it.”  She hugged the fluffy bunny to her chest once before putting it back in the box.

Dana smiled.  “Good.  I wanted to pick out something to apologize.  I just… I wonder if I had paid more attention to how much she was hurt… Maybe I could have done more.”

Max’s face fell.  “We can’t change what happened.”  Well, Dana couldn’t anyway.  “But Kate’s alright and she’s coming back.”

The other girl tried to smile.  “Thanks Max.  We just have to do better next time, right?”

Max nodded quickly.  “We got this.”  She moved to shift past the cheerleader, but then she stopped again.  “You know, Victoria is bringing drinks and junk food.  So if you want to hang for a while, you can.”

Dana’s nose scrunched up.  “I don’t want to intrude.”

“I know you and Victoria don’t get along…”

Dana raised a hand to stop her.  “Stop.  I’m not going to duck out just because I’m trying to avoid Victoria.  Honestly, I think you’ve been a good influence.  She’s been… better recently.  Not exactly good, but better.”

Max felt the blood rush to her cheeks.  “I don’t think I have that much influence on her.”

“You totally do,” Dana said.  “She wants to impress you.”  She smirked and tapped her own lip.  “And it looks like it’s working.”

The hipster didn’t say anything for a moment.  Then she glanced into the small window on the door to get a look at her reflection.  A small pink mark was visible on her lip.  “Oh.”  She blushed even darker and quickly wiped her lip on her sleeve until the smudge disappeared.

Dana laughed.  “I was going to ask if you were together, but I think I can guess now.”

“We are, but it’s complicated.”

Dana cocked her head.  “Need to talk about it?”

Max groaned.  “Maybe?  I don’t know.”  She had no idea how to even talk to someone about her relationship.  It was easy not to worry about it when Victoria was the only one who was actually around most of the time.  Some people would probably just think it was cool, some would think it was weird, but she really didn’t need people judging her at all.

She looked up to see Dana frowning at her.  “Well, I learned my lesson last time.  I’m not letting my friends bottle all their problems up anymore.”  She dropped down on the steps and crossed her arms.  “Spill.”

Max sighed.  It wasn’t like she could hide it forever.  And it felt wrong to be sneaking around.  She didn’t want to be ashamed of being in love.  “I am with Victoria.  And Chloe and I also have a thing and Kate is so sweet and…”  She began to feel progressively more self-conscious as Dana just stared at her.  She buried her face in her hands.  Why was she still talking?  All she was doing was messing things up with a kind of friend.  “It sounds so weird.”

The other girl huffed.  “Time out.  All three of them _know_ , right?”  Max nodded.  “And they’re all cool?”  Max nodded a second time.  “Then I’m happy for all of you.  If you’re sleeping in a big, lesbian girl pile, I really don’t need to know the details as long as it makes you all happy.  You’re happy, Kate’s happy, and Victoria is progressively less of a bitch.  If it works, I’m not gonna make things weird.”

Max let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.  “You have no idea how good it feels to say that out loud and not have you freaking out.”  She had been jumping every time Victoria was anywhere near her in public for the last few days like it would make some kind of tattoo declaring their unusual relationship appear across her forehead.  The last thing she needed was to be dragged back into the center of attention.

Dana giggled.  “Tell you what.  I’m going to grab the card I got Kate and leave this in her room.  That way I don’t interrupt your date.”

“It’s not a date!”  The cheerleader just laughed as she rushed upstairs, leaving Max alone at the bottom of the stairwell.  She sighed and pushed through the door to the front hall.  Her phone beeped again and she glanced down at the screen as she shouldered the door open.

**Chloe** : yo

im outside

and Kate and her dad just pulled up

Max walked out into the parking lot to see Chloe climbing out of her beat-up truck while Kate was on the other side of the parking lot.  The church girl picked up her suitcase and gave her dad a hug before she all but ran across the front green to Max.  She practically threw herself at her girlfriend and pulled her into a tight hug.  Max smiled as the soft flowery scent of Kate’s hair filled her senses and she returned the hug, burying her face in Kate’s neck for a moment.  Then she glanced over her girlfriend’s shoulder as she realized that Mr. Marsh was watching them.  He smiled and waved once before climbing back into his car.  “Hey.”

Kate’s cheeks colored slightly.  “Hey.”

“Yo dorks.”  Chloe leisurely crossed the parking lot with a backpack slung over her shoulder.  “Do I get a hug too, Kitty Kate?”

The hugging pair couldn’t help a small chuckle.  “Of course.”  Kate turned and pulled Chloe into a tight hug.

“Ow.  Okay, I get it, you’re a hugger.”  Chloe squirmed in Kate’s grip for a second before the other girl let her go.

Kate giggled.  “Sorry.  I didn’t realize how lonely I’d be sitting at home without you guys.”  She hefted her suitcase and the trio walked to the door

Max skipped ahead to get to the door first.  “After you, my ladies.”  She bowed dramatically, holding the door open for the pair.

“Thanks babe.”  Chloe slipped past her followed by Kate and they headed upstairs.  The hall way empty on the way up and the door to Kate’s room was hanging open just a little.  The door swung all the way open and Kate gasped.

“Welcome back!”  Victoria said, standing directly beneath the banner with a smile.

“Oh my,” Kate said, quickly rubbing her eyes as she looked around at the streamers covering the walls.  “You didn’t have to do this.”

“We really did,” Victoria insisted.  “We wanted to show you that you were always welcome to come back.  You deserve to be treated better.”

“Laying it on thick,” Chloe said dryly.  Victoria stopped talking and just gave her a glare.  But before she could say anything, Kate crossed the room and dragged her into a hug.  Max laughed at Victoria’s surprised look and quickly joined in, jumping in on the hug and wrapping her arms around both of them.  Chloe chuckled and shook her head.  “Oh, so we doing a group hug now?”

Max laughed and looked back at her as Chloe pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.  “Yes, now get in here.”  The bluenette grinned and outright jumped on top of the group, sending all four of them toppling to the ground in a flailing pile of limbs and squeals.

“Get off of me,” Victoria yelped from the bottom of the pile.  “Do you know how much this sweater cost?”

Chloe just grinned.  “Where’s the love Vicky?”  She made kissy lips at the blonde and steadfastly kept her place.

“I will show you plenty of love when you’re not lying on top of me!”  Victoria struggled to get out from underneath the pile before Max and Kate shifted to allow her to crawl out from under them.  She crossed her arms and scoffed before she dropped onto the bed.

“No need to get pissy,” Max said as she helped Kate to her feet.  “We’re just having fun.  You like having fun with us, right?”

Victoria tried to scowl, but couldn’t manage it.  “I hate when you do that.”

Max chuckled and hopped on the bed to join her.  “You love us anyway.”

“Despite everything, I do.”

Chloe wolf whistled.  “You go girl!  Bring out the bitch queen’s soft squishy center.”  She tossed her backpack on Kate’s desk and unzipped the top.  “But let’s get some entertainment running before you get all lovey dovey.”  She held up a handful of CD cases labeled in marker.  “I’ve got Blade Runner, Terminator 2, Underworld…”

“You watch fang versus fur trash?” Victoria said, locking extremely dubious.

Chloe grinned.  “I watch two hours of Kate Beckinsale’s ass in leather.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and got up from between Max and Kate.  “Oh please.  If we’re going to watch a movie to ogle to lead, we could at least watch something that has decent writing.  I’ll get Ghost in a Shell from my room.”

“Anime?”  Chloe shook her head.  “Man, even Blackwell’s alpha bitch is a nerd.”

Max cleared her throat and stepped up before they could start fighting in earnest.  “If you two are going to argue over it, we can watch…”

“No Spirits Within!” both of them said, almost perfectly in-sync.

Max threw up her hands and pouted.  “It’s a good movie,” she muttered.  “Fine.  Then how about Kate decides since it’s supposed to be her party?”

Victoria and Chloe looked at each other for a second.  There was a moment of silence before they seemed to come to a wordless understanding.  “That’s fair,” Chloe answered as all eyes in the room turned toward Kate.

The church girl jumped as she was suddenly the center of attention again.  “Well… can we watch something nicer first?  I have Tangled in my suitcase.”

There was another moment of silence.  “Disney is pretty good,” Chloe said slowly.

“They’re classics,” Victoria agreed.

Max sighed and shot Kate a thumbs-up at her suggestion and grabbed a bag of popcorn and tore it open.  “Then let’s get this party started!”


	8. Chapter 8

Max had never actually been inside the Rue Altimore before.  Mainly because you needed either a six figure salary or a parent with a six figure salary to get past the front door.  Okay, so maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but it was still the last place in Arcadia Bay that she expected to be getting dinner.  “Will you stop fussing?” Victoria said softly as she brought the car to a stop.

“Hey, I don’t usually wear this kind of thing.”  Max tugged at her collar, trying to loosen the tight cloth around her neck.  “My mom nearly passed out when I asked for the cash to rent a suit.”  She felt silly, like she was trying to dress up as someone else.  The jet black jacket wasn’t actually that bad, and she could live with the slacks, but whoever invented ties was an evil, evil person.  Anything that took eight tries and a YouTube video to find proper instructions was a cruel invention.  “I should have gotten a dress instead.”  She hadn’t worn a dress in years, but it had to be better than this.

Victoria sighed.  “It’s fine, just stop tugging at it.  If you mess up your tie, I am not going to help you re-do it again.”

Max huffed.  “Says the one who wears this like she born to it…”

The blonde’s lips turned up into a slightly smug smile.  “All it takes is a little practice.”  Her jacket had a different cut than Max’s, exposing more of the white undershirt, and the pants were cut slim, hugging her legs.  She was also the only one who was wearing heels, adding a couple of inches to her height and making her walk more of a confident strut that did _things_ to Max.

“You look great,” Kate said gently from the back seat.  Unlike Max, she looked completely comfortable in her formal wear.  Granted, her formal wear amounted to wearing a slightly nicer shirt and sweater and darker stockings.  “You both do.”

Victoria’s smile softened and she looked back over her shoulder.  “Thank you Kate.”  She turned back to Max.  “See?  It’s fine.  Now let’s go find your punk and pray to God that she found some presentable to wear.”

“Victoria…”  Kate gave the popular girl a firm stare.

The blonde clicked her tongue.  “Sorry Katie.  I’ll be good.”

Max sighed and reluctantly stopped pulling at her collar.  “Alright, alright.  I think I see Chloe over by the doors.”  All three of them climbed out of the car and headed toward the building to greet the last of their number.

“Yo Blackwell peeps,” Chloe said, casually raising one hand.  “I was starting to think I got the wrong night.”

“Oh my…”  Victoria cut herself off with a wordless groan.  “What are you wearing?”

“What?”  Chloe stood up from the curb and spread her arms.  She was wearing a suit, just like Max, but the jacket was open and her shirt was untucked.  The tie hung loosely over her shoulders rather than being tied in any way, and her top two buttons were open.  And her beanie cap still sat firmly on her blue hair.  “You said dress nice, and I did.  If you expected me to wear a dress, you have to be smoking some crazy shit.”

“No, no, this is fine,” Victoria muttered, more to herself than anyone else.  “The suit is fine, it just needs adjusting.”  She shook her hands before running one through her own hair.  “This can be fixed.”

“Jeez, I didn’t actually think you were tweaked on something.”

Chloe grinned, but Victoria silenced her with a stare.  “Inside.  Max, Kate, would you two be so kind as to get our table?  Reservation is under my name.  I’m taking this one to the bathroom to make her presentable.”

The two brunettes watched as Victoria promptly frog marched Chloe inside over the protests of the punk.  “So… that just happened,” Max finally said.  “Think I should follow them and make sure they don’t try to strangle each other?”

“I think they’ll be alright,” Kate said.  “It’s hard to tell how much of their bickering is even serious.”

“True ‘dat.”  Max held the door for her remaining date before following her inside.  The restaurant was exactly as posh as she’d envisioned.  The tables all had pristine white cloths and brass candlesticks with a fake candle and a glowing bulb in it stood in the center of each one.  The lights were kept a little low, but she could still clearly see the plants and occasional piece of art along the walls.

“Good evening,” a man in a fancy waiter’s uniform said from behind a podium.  “You must be Miss Chase’s other guests.  Your table is right this way.  Your other companions will rejoin you once they’ve… freshened up.”

Max couldn’t help feeling like he was judging them.  “Uh… yeah.  That’s us.”  She reflexively took Kate’s hand as they made their way through the tables toward one in the back set for four.  The waiter pulled the chairs out to let them sit then bowed his head slightly.  “Your server will be along in a few minutes.  Please enjoy your evening misses.”

There was another moment of silence as Max and Kate took their seats across from each other.  Max glanced down at the menu and quickly realized that she only recognized about half of the dishes, and couldn’t even pronounce a few of them.  “You ever feel really out of place?” she asked, trying to sound like she was joking.

“More than once,” Kate said softly as she gazed at the bound menu at her own place.

Max sighed and tossed the booklet back on the table.  “Well, at least the food has to be good if it costs this much.”  She was torn between feeling bad that Victoria had insisted on taking care of everything, including paying, and relieved that she wasn’t going to have to explain a bill that big to her parents when they got their credit card statement.

That finally got a smile as Kate covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.  “As long as it doesn’t come in tiny portions,” she added.  “Where you get through the whole thing in two bites.”

“The pasta dishes look pretty big,” Max said, paging through the menu and looking at the pictures.  “They certainly put enough effort into staging them to make them look tasty too.  I haven’t had anything like this in… ever actually.”

The pair kept going through the menus, pointing to the fanciest meals they could find and giggling over the flowery descriptions below the photos.  Kate was laughing again as the waiter arrived with a pitcher of ice water and a steaming basket of fresh breadsticks, still hot from the oven and covered in spices that filled the air with an absolutely delectable scent.  “Shouldn’t those two have come back by now?”

Max stopped short with a breadstick halfway to her mouth.  “Shit.  Maybe I should go check on them.”  She dropped her untouched appetizer on the tiny plates that had been brought with the basket and absently wiped her fingers.  “You okay if I go make sure they’re not dead?”  Kate just nodded as Max got to her feet and headed toward the restrooms.

She dodged around a very fancy looking couple and stepped into the small alcove that separated the restroom door from the rest of the dining room.  “Really, it’s not that bad.”  She froze as she heard Victoria’s voice, slightly muffled by the heavy wooden door.

“I look like a penguin,” Chloe’s voice added, sounding more than a little surly.  Max cracked the door open to see the pair standing in front of one of the mirrors, with Victoria adjusting Chloe’s jacket and brushing off her shoulders.

The blonde scoffed as she pulled the collar straight.  “Oh please.  It’s a blazer, not a tuxedo.  You’d actually be sort of handsome if you wore it right.”  She stepped back for a second and Max saw that the shirt was tucked in properly, but the top buttons were still open and the tie was nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe I want to look cool, rather than handsome,” Chloe countered, picking her hat back up off the edge of the sink.

Victoria snatched it out of her hand before she could cover her hair again.  “Oh no.  I let you win about the tie.  You _are_ letting me win about the hat.  And you are more than capable of being cool without looking like a slob.”  She stuffed the beanie into her purse before Chloe could try to take it back.

Chloe frowned slightly, like she was thinking about something.  “Did you just call me cool?  Like, an actual compliment?”

The blonde’s cheeks immediately turned pale pink.  “You are… significantly cooler than I first gave you credit for.  Not quite as cool as me, but you have an… appeal.”

Chloe’s face shifted to a cocky grin.  “Oh, so I’m _appealing_ to you, huh?  Careful how freely you start giving out compliments.  Otherwise people might start to think your heart thawed out at some point.”

“And what would be so bad about either of those things?”  Victoria met Chloe’s eyes in the mirror and for a second they just met each other’s gaze in silence.  “I’m aware you’re mainly in this because you and Max are so into each other that it’s almost ridiculous, but maybe I’m starting to see the parts of you other than you being an obnoxious stoner.”  Chloe blushed this time and seemed at a distinct loss for words.  “What, no snark this time?”

“It’s hard to come up with a quip if you’re going to get sincere on me all of a sudden.”  Chloe pulled the hem of her jacket and ran a hand through her hair to make sure it was lying flat.

Victoria caught her arm as she half turned away.  “Well maybe you should do something instead.  Or are you all talk?”

Chloe didn’t do anything for a moment.  Then she puckered her lips and planted one right on Victoria’s lips.  Max couldn’t fight back a gasp, her eyes going wide as she watched.  The pair instantly jerked apart and Chloe half turned toward the door.  Max didn’t think, she just twisted her hand she whipped things backwards.  The two shifted back together in perfect reverse before Max let her grip on time loosen and thing started moving forward again.  She forced herself to keep quiet as Chloe went in for the kiss again.

It was fast and rough, and Victoria even seemed surprised by the sheer force of the kiss.  Her eyes widened and she ended up leaned back and letting Chloe own the kiss as her hands came to rest on the punk’s hips.  Max felt her cheeks flaming as she quickly turned and bolted back to the table before either of the other girls could hear her and know they were being watched.

Kate cocked her head with a worried look on her face as Max raced back to the table.  “Is everything alright?”

Max sat back down, pressing her legs tightly together and clenching and releasing her fists a couple of times.  “Well… Chloe once said she kind of liked the idea of… you and me.  And I just saw her and Victoria and… I think I get what she meant.”

Kate’s cheeks quickly colored to match Max’s own.  “Oh.”  The church girl didn’t say anything for a second a she looked down at the table and Max took the moment of silence to finally get to try the fabulous looking bread.  “It’s good that they’re getting along.  And I… I think I get it.  I’m trying to imagine it and…”  She trailed off with a squeak and covered her face.  “You three are a bad influence.”

Max chuckled.  “I’m sure this is the point where Chloe would say something about us corrupting you.  But I’m just happy things are working out.”

“What’s working this time babe?” Chloe said as she walked up behind them.  Her face looked slightly flushed still and her lips were slightly red from the forceful kiss, but otherwise she showed absolutely no signs that she’d been making out with Victoria.

“Tonight is just going great,” Max said.  She glanced past the bluenette to see Victoria checking her lipstick on her way back to the table.  “For everyone.”

Victoria snapped her compact closed.  “Price and I have… come to an agreement.”  Chloe made kissy lips and Victoria promptly smacked her on the shoulder with her purse.

Max just grinned like a fool.  “That’s great.  Really.”

“Maybe you two can fight less?” Kate suggested gently.

Chloe and Victoria looked at each other.  “Eh, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Chloe replied.  “But the fighting will be less bitching and more fucking with each other for shits and giggles at least.”

“I’ll take it,” Max said as the pair took their seat on either side of her.  She couldn’t keep down a smile as they both settled in.  Having all of them together was starting to just felt… right.  Chloe’s breadstick snatching, Victoria’s exasperated look, and Kate’s soft smile all included.  “How about we pick out dinner before the waiter comes back?” she suggested.


	9. Chapter 9

Max had never been the world’s biggest seafood fan, but the shrimp scampi was very quickly changing her mind.  She had to fight to not scarf it all down as fast as she could.  It was hard to feel bad about letting Victoria set up dinner if it was going to be this good.  The blonde of course looked like she was born to be there, taking small polite bites between chatting with the rest of the table and occasionally signaling the waiter to refill a glass or take away a finished dish.  Kate seemed a little overwhelmed, staying quiet and watching, but she easily fit in with the well-dressed crowd around them.  Chloe… was Chloe.  She’d managed to avoid making a scene or a mess of herself, but Victoria’s nose still wrinkled in annoyance when the blue-haired girl ran a finger around the edge of her plate the get the rest of her pasta sauce.

“So…” she finally said once most of the food was squared away and the waiter had been sent off with their dessert orders.

“So,” Max repeated.  “Something up?”

“Well, it’s our third date tonight,” Chloe said slowly.  “Soooo…”

Victoria groaned.  “Oh my… dog.”  Max’s lips twitched up into a cheeky grin and Kate gave the blonde a pleased smile.  “Don’t expect me to do that again,” Victoria grumbled.  “And you…”  She turned back to Chloe.  “Did you have to do this tonight?”

“Hey, I was on a dry spell for a while before Rachel even disappeared,” Chloe said.  “It’s been like a year and I have needs.”

Max’s cheeks immediately turned bright red and Kate just looked slightly confused.  “Um… are you talking about what I think you are?” the church girl asked gently.

“The third date is where it’s generally considered appropriate that you become… intimate,” Victoria said.  “ _If_ you’re ready for it.”

Chloe rolled her eyes.  “Okay, I’m gonna be serious about sex for a couple secs.”  Everyone other than Chloe rolled their eyes.  “Actually serious.  I like you.  All of you, believe it or not.”  Max pointedly forced herself not to look back at Victoria when Chloe said that.  “So I’m not gonna feel bad about asking if you wanna get down and dirty.  Nothing wrong with wanting to wake up wrapped around someone you care about.”

Victoria blushed a little bit this time.  “That’s actually rather sweet from you.”

Chloe grinned.  “You like it and you know it,” she said.  The bluenette made kissy lips at the blonde, drawing out another blush.  “I’m not gonna be some pushy jerk about it, but I wanna put the option out there.”

“I don’t mind,” Kate said.  She was a little flush, and her eyes were turned down, but her voice was determined.

“What brought this on?” Max asked.  Kate had never said a word about sex and she still got blushes just from thinking about kissing.  She had figured that she was still in the ‘figuring out liking girls’ stage.  Hell, she was still in the ‘figuring out liking girls’ stage.

Kate was quiet for a few moments.  “When I told my dad about… this… he said that he loved me no matter who I loved.  He also said… he said that he knew that marriage might not be an option for a long time if I was going to be with a girl.  And that even though he was proud that I’d tried to stay pure, he would understand if things changed.  He just told me to be safe and to make sure that I was committed to the relationship before I made any big steps.”

The table fell silent for a few moments.  “Damn, that was poetic and shit,” Chloe finally said.  “Now I feel like I gotta up my game a little.  Your dad is hella amazing.”

Max raised an eyebrow.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Kate nodded.  “I think that I might be able to imagine being with someone else.  But… I don’t want to.  I’m happy like this.  Happier than I have been in a long time.”  Victoria’s face fell a little.  “I don’t want to give any of you up.  So yes, I’m willing to… try new things.”

“We’re right here for you Katie,” Victoria said, placing a hand over the other girl’s.  “No need to feel rushed.”

“Damn, she’s even cute when she’s saying she down to… you know,” Chloe muttered.

Max put on an exaggerated pout and nudged Chloe.  “You never call me cute you know,” she said, trying to force herself to sound disappointed.

Chloe immediately tensed up.  “That’s because you’re more awesome and badass than cute and I…”  She stopped talking when she saw Max fighting to keep a grin off her face.  “Jerk.”

“I would suggest we not talk about this further in public,” Victoria cut in.  “Unless you want to start talking about your… places in front of all these people.”

Chloe chuckled.  “I don’t think anyone is listening, but I guess I get it.  How about we pay up and get that dessert to go?”

“You have the self-control of a child,” Victoria scoffed.  But she still raised a hand to call the waiter over and dug out her credit card.

\------------------------------

There was some debate in the car on the way back the Blackwell, with Chloe on speaker phone so she could hear what was going on in the other car.  Eventually, they all agreed to gather in Victoria’s room because, as she put it, she had ‘the biggest couch’ and ‘the best sheets’.  But Max suddenly found herself feeling very awkward.  _“Come on Max, what’s wrong with you,”_ she told herself as Kate sat on one side of her while Chloe leaned against the wall and Victoria dropped into her desk chair.  _“You saved the girl, stopped the bad guy, and got plenty of make-out time.  You cannot be freaking out now.”_  It gave her a little comfort to see that everyone, even Chloe, seemed to have gotten a little nervous on the way up.  “Am I the only one who thinks that maybe our first time in a big pile is… weird?”

“No,” three voices echoed almost at once.

“But it would also be weird not to be all together if we’re doing this, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes.”  There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at each other, but Max just chuckled.  Maybe they were a little more on the same page than she’d expected.

“We agreed that we were all going to be equal in this,” Victoria continued after a moment.  “We can’t be together all the time, but at least this time we should be.”

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Kate said.  “But I don’t want to have more regrets.”

Chloe grinned and flipped her hair back cockily.  “Hell yeah.  Don’t worry ladies.  As the only experienced lesbian in the room, I’m giving one time, all-expense paid lessons on how to make your lady scream.”

Kate flushed a little.  “I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll do great,” Max said.  “And we’re all going to have things to learn, right?”

Victoria very pointedly looked away, which of course drew every eye in the room.

“Woah, time out,” Chloe said, making a ‘T’ with her hands.  “Since when have you been with a girl before?”

“Taylor and I were very high at a Vortex Club party and things happened,” Victoria said with a huff.  “Maybe a few things happened.  We both decided not to talk about it too much.”

“And we haven’t heard about this until now?” Max asked.

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “Look, just because we’re not at each other’s throats anymore, doesn’t mean that you get to nose into all of my business.  It happened.  It’s done.  It wasn’t a big thing to begin with.”

Max’s mouth opened a closed a few times without words.  She absolutely hated not knowing things.  “It does if you want into my pants!” she finally blurted out.

Chloe just laughed, earning her Victoria’s sharp stare instead of Max.  “I’m trying to picture you high as a kite and lezzing out and it’s fucking hilarious.”

“Like you haven’t done it too,” Victoria snapped back.

Chloe grinned.  “Yeah, but I’ve been out for like two years and I’m a chronic stoner.  It would be weirder if I hadn’t gotten laid after a joint or two at some point.”

Kate giggled and Max grinned from ear to ear.  “She’s kinda got you on that one,” the hipster said.

Victoria looked ready to reply again then seemed to think better of it.  She crossed her arms and looked away with a pout.  “Whatever.  Are we going to sit around discussing me, or are we actually going to do something tonight?”

There was another long moment of silence.  “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Chloe said.  “Fine.  I’ll go first.  I don’t care if you see my tits.”  The blue-haired girl tossed her jacket on the floor and unfastened her shirt one button at a time to reveal her bra.  Her shoes joined the pile of clothes then her belt and pants, leaving the punk standing there in nothing but her underwear.  Max let her eyes run over Chloe’s body, following the brilliant color on her arm down to the curve of her hips.  She felt her face heat up a little, but didn’t try to stop herself.  She’d seen Chloe in a bikini before, but it felt slightly different to see her in underwear.  More… intimate.  “Come on, show me some skin.”  Chloe’s voice snapped her out of her happy place.  “It’s gonna get weird if I’m the only one naked.”

Max smiled at Kate and patted her hand before she started to undress, her clothes quickly forming their own pile on the floor.  She felt a little like a deer in the headlights and she could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she stood there.  Victoria went next, then Kate, adding to the mess until they were all standing there nearly naked.  Kate reached up to start to undo her hair, but Max’s hand came up to stop her.  “Hang on.”

Kate cocked her head.  “What’s wrong?” she said, her voice suddenly sounding very nervous.

“I kinda wanted you to leave your hair up.  I think it looks cute like that.”

The church girl’s face lit up again.  “You really think so?  Everyone always said I looked stuffy…”

“I mean, it’s a little stuffy,” Chloe said.  Max half turned to give her a questioning look.  “But it’s so you that you look cuter with it up.”

Kate’s cheeks flamed and she looked down.  “Thank you.”

Chloe grinned and winked at Max then turned to Victoria.  “I call first dibs on Maximum Hotness.  You mind helping show Katie a good time?”

“While I don’t mind giving Kate my attention,” Victoria said, “I question why you’re allowed to call dibs on anyone.”

“Because she was my friend first and totally my bae.”

Victoria rolled her eyes.  “I’m not sure how to argue such stellar logic,” she deadpanned.  “Fine.”  She walked over to the couch and put a hand on Kate’s should.  “You still feeling alright, honey?”

Kate nodded quickly.  “I’m fine.”  She didn’t look nearly as confident as she tried to make herself sound.

“One sec,” Max said.  She leaned in and placed one hand on Kate’s cheek while the other wrapped around her waist.  Then she tilted her head and came in for a kiss.  Kate’s eyes widened a little and her hands came to rest on Max’s hips as they held each other close for a few long moments.

“Damn,” Chloe said with a slightly breathy voice.  “Maybe you two don’t need lessons after all.”

The two girls separate with equally blushing cheeks.  “Shut up and show me what all the talk has been building up to,” Max said, grabbing Chloe’s hand and pulling her toward the bed.

Victoria took Kate’s hand and guided her to the bed so the less experienced girls were sitting between them.  She settled in behind Kate, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist and leaning over Kate’s shoulder.  The brunette turned her head and leaned in for her second kiss of the evening.  Victoria held her close, letting the kiss drag on and slowly rubbing her hand up and down over Kate’s stomach.  A breathy gasp escaped the church girl’s lips as the kiss finally broke.  “Vic… Victoria…”

“You’re sensitive,” Victoria murmured, continuing to slowly run her hands over Kate’s body.  “Are you always like this?”

“I… I don’t know,” Kate stammered, shaking a little in Victoria’s grasp.  “I don’t really…”

“Touch yourself?” Victoria finished.  “Then this will be an experience for both of us.”

Max felt her body heating up at the sight, but she didn’t have much time to process before Chloe demanded her attention again.  The punk didn’t waste any time dragging Max into a kiss of her own kiss, tackling her down onto the bed and mashing their lips together.  The brunette could still taste just a hint of mint chocolate on her lips from the mints at the restaurant and she could feel Chloe’s tongue eagerly flicking against hers, probing for entry to her mouth.  “Mmmmm, I’m gonna show you everything I got,” she all but growled as their lips parted.

Max barely had time to gasp as Chloe’s mouth moved lower, latching on to her neck and leaving a pale mark on her skin.  She moved down lower and lower, trailing kisses down Max’s neck and across her collar bone.  “Chloe!”  It was all Max could do to gasp her girlfriend’s name.  She felt Chloe’s hands snake around behind her and fumble around for a few moments to find her bra’s clasp and release it.  The scrap of fabric pulled away, revealing her small, perky breasts and swollen nipples to the air.

“These are perfect,” Chloe said, her mouth moving lower once again.  Her lips pressed against the curve of Max’s breast, then against her nipple.  She kissed the hard point again, wrapping her lips around it and sucking it gently.

Max moaned, one hand clutching at the bed sheets as the other pawed at Chloe’s back, trying to hold her closer as she suckled Max’s nipple.  She heard another moan from beside her and half turned her head.  Victoria still had one arm around Kate’s waist, but the other had moved from slowly stroking her side to sliding under her bra, massaging the modest mounds and pinching her nipples to draw small moans from the other girl’s lips.  The blonde’s face was tucked into her partner’s neck, letting her continuously place small kisses on her neck or nibble gently on the pale skin.

Max snapped back to herself as Chloe moved lower again, her lips kissing a line straight down her stomach.  She looked down and saw the blue-haired punk kiss just above the waistband of her panties.  Her cheeks flamed as she saw the wet spot quickly forming in her underwear.  Chloe just grinned.  “Mmmm, you get so wet,” Chloe cooed, slowly peeling Max’s underwear away from her skin.

“Stop being a tease and do it,” Max gasped, her pussy absolutely dripping as it was exposed to the room.  Chloe just smirked knowingly and ever so slowly placed a kiss right on the middle of the wet lips.  Max moaned at the contact, her whole body buzzing from just that one touch.  Her hips jerked as Chloe did it again, and again, each time sending another spark of desire through her body.  Then she felt Chloe’s tongue snake out of her mouth and slowly trace along her lips, exploring her fold for the best spots.  Max reached down and put a hand on top of Chloe’s head, running her fingers through her lover’s hair as she licked her.  “Yes… Chloe that’s so good.”

Next to them, Victoria’s hand moved around Kate’s body and slid down into her panties.  The brunette moaned loudly as she felt fingers stroking across her labia and gently spreading her open.  “Does that feel good Katie?” Victoria murmured in her ear.  “Right here?”  She slowly slid one finger into Kate’s slippery hole.  The church girl moaned and nodded, having trouble finding her words.  The blonde’s other hand continued to massage her breasts, her palm rubbed across Kate’s hard nipples.  “That’s it, just feel good for me.  No one leaves my bed unsatisfied.”  Her fingertips ran over Kate’s clit, drawing a loud moan and a whimper from the other girl.  “Found your button,” she teased.

Chloe glanced over at the other pair on the bed once.  Then she smirked and flicked her tongue right across Max’s clit.  She jerked and moaned loudly as Chloe licked across her swollen bud.  “Oh fuck!”  Her legs wrapped around Chloe’s shoulders, pulling her closer as she focused her tongue on her clit.  “Fuck Chloe!  That’s so good!”

“Are you gonna cum for me?  About to hit maximum pleasure?”  Max was too close to the edge to do more than moan as Chloe traced her tongue in circles around her clit.  She finally hit the peak and cried out.  Her thighs squeezed around Chloe’s head, holding her close as she rode out the orgasm, her whole body tensing slightly with pleasure.  Then she went limp and slumped back on the bed, her chest rising and falling from exertion.

Next to them, Victoria’s hands moved faster, her fingers pumping inside Kate’s panties and her other hand freely squeezing and grabbing beneath her bra.  Kate barely made a sound as she hit her climax.  Her body trembled slightly and her eyes glazed over as the pleasure rushed through her.  She made a soft, wordless gasp of pleasure and leaned in to kiss Victoria again as she rode the orgasm to the end.

“Damn,” Chloe muttered.  “That’s hot as fuck.”  She squirmed in place between Max’s legs a little bit.  “Think you’re up to return the favor?”

Max panted for a few more moments, then she smiled.  “Won’t know until we try.”


	10. Chapter 10

Max woke up with something heavy on her chest.  She blinked a couple of times and tried to lift a hand to rub her eyes, only to find that both of her arms were pinned by something.  She groaned and looked down to see a familiar face pressed against her chest.  Kate shifted little as she felt Max moving, but didn’t stir.  Max just smiled and slowly began working one of her arms free.  She could feel the warmth of another body beneath her head and the rising and falling of whoever was breathing behind her, telling her where the rest of their foursome was resting.  She managed to turn her head just enough to see blue hair behind her.  _“Well, I did ask to be in the middle of a big lesbian pile.”_   The photographer just grinned and leaned down to place a kiss on Kate’s forehead.  Max chuckled and finally managed to get an arm free without smacking Chloe or Victoria.  “Come on Katie.  Time to get up.”

The brunette stirred and curled up closer to Max’s chest.  “Already?”  Her voice was muffled by Max’s body.

There was a groan from behind her and Max felt an arm wrapped around her body.  “It’s too early…” Chloe muttered.

Max twisted her head to try to get a look at Victoria’s clock.  “Actually, it’s almost ten.  You’re lucky it’s not a school day or someone would have come looking for us by now.”

“Do we _have_ to get up?” Chloe grumbled.

“I’ll pay for breakfast if you do,” Max replied.

The bed shifted beneath them as Chloe sat up.  “Pancakes at the diner?”

“Is there anywhere else to get brunch on Saturday?” Max asked plainly.  There was another groan and Max could feel the third body moving under her head.  “Good morning.”

Victoria blinked a couple of times and half sat up, lifting Max’s head up with her.  “Do you have any idea how many carbs are in pancakes?”

“Of course that’s the first thing she thinks,” Chloe said with a shake of her head.  She crawled up the bed and placed a soft kiss on Victoria’s cheek.  “Chillax, Queen V.  I know you don’t actually have a stick up your ass.  We had plenty of time to check last night.”

“Nooooo,” Victoria groaned and she buried her face in her hands.  “I just started dating someone awesome.  I’m not allowed to start getting fat yet.”

“You look perfect,” Kate said, patting Victoria’s hand.

The blonde huffed and her cheeks colored just a bit.  “Fine.  But we need to shower before breakfast.  I am not going out in public smelling like sex and sweat.”

“I don’t know,” Max said.  “I kind of like it.  It reminds me of what we did to you last night.”

There was a long moment of silence that only broke when Chloe laughed.  “That’s what I like to hear!” the bluenette cheered.

Victoria’s face flamed and Max tried very very hard to force hers not to.  Without much success, but it was the thought that counted.  _“Shit, shit, shit.  I can’t believe I just said that.”_   She tried to say something else for a few seconds, but words refused to form.  “We can get cleaned up if you want though,” she finally mumbled.

Chloe wiggled her eyebrows.  “Maybe we should get in together.  Then I can help get those hard to reach places.”

Victoria just scoffed.  “Must you be crass so early?”

“It’s like ten o’clock,” Max cut in.

“I don’t think it’s too early,” Kate said, finally moving from her spot cuddled up against Max’s chest.  She stretched and Max could hear her shoulders pop as she pulled them up.  “Has anyone…”

She was cut off by a sharp knock on the door.  “Hey!  Victoria!  Are you up yet?”

Max went a little pale as she recognized Taylor’s voice and everyone in the room went very quiet.  “I’m up!” the blonde called out a little too quickly.  She looked at the other three and mouthed ‘clothes’.  Max and Kate scrambled from the bed, nearly falling on the floor as the reached for the pile of discarded evening wear.  The handle of the door turned and they froze in place again.

“Oh fuck…” Chloe hissed.  “We didn’t lock the door last night.”

The door swung open and Taylor took half a step into the room before she stopped dead.  “What.”

“Nope.”  Max reached out a hand and everything stopped.  “Nope, nope, nope.  Screw that.”  She twisted her hand and watched as everything started running in reverse.  She focused on the rewind as Taylor backed out of the room and everyone settled back down on the bed, fast asleep around a Max who wasn’t there anymore.  She grunted as she let her hand drop and things started to move again.  The brunette looked at her girlfriends gathered on the bed and sighed.  It was almost a shame to have to get them up again.

But at least she could have some fun with it.  She walked over to the windows and pulled the curtains up, spilling sunlight into the room and over the girls still lying on the bed.  The sudden glare combined with the sudden lack of a center for them to cuddle caused all three to stir.  “Rise and shine!”

A groan rose from Chloe as she sat up.  “Max?  The hell are you doing?”

“We’ve got five minutes to be dressed before Taylor walks in on us,” Max said, grabbing the punk’s clothes from the night before and tossing them at her.  “Pancakes are on me if we manage to get dressed without making me rewind again.”

“Wha?”  Kate sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking confused for a moment before she nodded and reached down to collect her clothes from the floor.

Victoria groaned.  “How are you awake already?” she grumbled as Max tossed her clothes to her.

“Time powers are awesome when they’re not trying to screw me over,” Max replied as she grabbed her panties and quickly started pulling her clothes on.  They were rumpled from a night on the floor, but it was better than being exposed to the world naked.

There was another wave of grumbling as Victoria and Chloe tugged enough clothes on to at least by modest.  Victoria sniffed at her own collar and her nose wrinkled.  “Ugh.   Showers.  Showers for everyone before breakfast.”

“It probably counts as brunch at this point,” Kate said, yawning once and rubbing her eyes before she tried to flatten her skirt down.  “We slept too long.”

“Nah,” Chloe said as she hopped out of bed.  “We were just up late.  That kinda thing happens when you’ve got people to do all night.”

“Must you be crass so early?” Victoria grumbled as she climbed out of bed.  She pulled open and drawer and dug out a comb and a brush and started trying to untangle her hair while the others finished dressing.  She winced as one of the tangled pulled a few times before she managed to work it out.  Then they heard a knock on the door.

“Hey!  Victoria!  Are you up yet?”

The blonde glanced over her shoulder.  “I’m here!” she called back.  She got up and went to the door to let her friend in.  “Hey Sweet-T.”

Taylor looked very surprised as Victoria pulled her into a tight hug.  “Morning Vic,” she said, sounding a little bit bemused.  Then she looked over the other blonde’s shoulder and saw who else was in the room.  “What are they doing here so early?”

Victoria looked back over her shoulder and said nothing for a moment.  “We had a lovely date last night,” she finally answered.  “And they stayed over after.”

Taylor looked back and forth between Victoria and the rest of the group a couple of times.  “Like… all of you?”  She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“Is that a problem?” Victoria’s gaze was stern and level.

Taylor quickly shook her head.  “Not really.  Just… processing.  How the heck did this happen?”

Victoria hesitated for a moment.  “I’ll fill you in once we get back from breakfast.  Right now, I have things to attend to.”  She grabbed her shower caddy and hurried past her friend.  The other girls all chuckled at Taylor’s bemused look.

There was a long moment of awkward silence as Taylor looked back at them.  “Is this awkward for everyone else?” she asked.

“Little bit,” Chloe said.

“Could have been worse,” Max muttered.  “You could have walked in last night instead.”

Taylor nodded slowly.  “Yeah… I… I’ll talk to you later Max.  Later Kate, Chloe.”


	11. Chapter 11

Max was starting to wonder if she was a clingy girlfriend.  She stared at her phone, absently wondering what she should do with herself while she was waiting for a reply from someone.  Victoria had sent her a quick text saying she was busy with some of her friends and Chloe had avoided the question before saying she wasn’t available.  The nosy part of Max was very tempted to push for more, or maybe take a walk down to the Whales and see if Joyce knew anything, but that might be just a little too pushy.  And she really didn’t need to start fighting with Chloe right now.  So she was lying on her bed, hoping that Kate would reply and she’d have something to do today.  Finally, her phone beeped and she flicked the screen to the messenger app.

**Kate** : I’m so sorry Max.

I was sketching out on the lawn and didn’t hear my phone go off.

Want to meet me here?

Max felt a smile come to her lips.

**Max** : I’ll be there in five.

She slipped on a pair of shoes and tried very hard not to run the entire way down to the school’s front lawn.  The photographer slowed to a stop at the edge of the grass and quickly brushed her hair back with one hand.  Her smile reappeared as she saw Kate sitting on a bench near the fountain, her nose buried in her sketch book and her hand rapidly moving across the page.  Max made her way slowly across the grass, making sure that her sneakers made as little noise as possible against the ground.  She stopped behind her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Kate momentarily stiffened in shock.  Then she relaxed as she registered Max’s voice.  “Hi,” she said quietly.  She leaned back and pressed her head against Max’s shoulder.

The brunette just smiled and planted a quick peck on her lips.  “Hey Kate.”  She glanced over Kate’s shoulder at her book.  “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Not at all.”  The church girl patted the bench beside her and Max vaulted over the back and sat next to her.  “I don’t really mind having someone around while I’m drawing.”

At least this time Max didn’t have to feel bad about being nosy.  “What are you working on?”

Kate didn’t respond.  She just held up her sketch book.  Max glanced down at the page and couldn’t help gasping.  She could tell that it was a drawing of the fountain, but it barely resembled the real thing.  The fountain on the page was three levels, with water cascading over the edge of each layer like a waterfall and faint lines of light filtering through them.  She was sure that if Kate had colored pencils, they would shine like a rainbow.  The old statue on top had been replaced with a knight, standing tall and proud over the display below him.  “Wow,” Max murmured.  “This is incredible.”

Kate blushed.  “Do you really think so?”

“Of course!”  Max forced herself to stop staring at the page and meet Kate’s eyes again.  “What inspired this?”

Her girlfriend didn’t say anything for a moment.  “Mom and dad have been trying to get me to see a counselor,” she finally said.  “And we’ve been talking to some people.  One of them recommended that I try to find the beauty in something normal when I’m feeling bad.  So I decided to try it with the courtyard.”

Max fell silent.  What was she supposed to say to that?  She sure as hell had no idea.  _“Okay Max.  Don’t be a dipshit with your sweetest girl.  What would Chloe say?”_   She let that train of thought run for a second then decided that Chloe was probably not the best person to emulate in this case.  _“Alright what about Victoria?”_   She was fairly sure that Victoria would apologize and start fussing over Kate to make sure she was alright.  That felt like it would sound a little too much like pity coming from her.  Finally, she shook herself and pulled Kate into an impulsive hug.

“Max?”

“Just wanted to hug my girlfriend if she’s feeling down,” the hipster replied, trying to sound at least a little suave.

Kate looked surprised for a few seconds.  Then she wrapped her arms around Max’s torso and held her close, her face buried in Max’s chest.  “I love you,” she murmured softly.

“I love you too,” Max replied without a moment to think about it.  Then a slightly cheeky smile came to her face.  “You know.  If you want to see the beauty in something, you should come down to my room next time.  I have a great mirror.”

The brunette’s head jerked up to look directly at her.  For a moment, Kate just looked surprised.  Then she smiled widely and pulled Max even closer.  “I might take you up on that.”


	12. Chapter 12

Max felt the floor of her room rattle slightly and pulled one of her headphones free from her ears.  The sound of her music dulled as she heard the door across the hall slam shut.  Her lips turned down and she hit the pause button on the player before hopping off her bed and closing her text book.  She crossed the hall and rapped her knuckles against Victoria’s door.  “Hey!  Victoria, are you okay?”

There was a moment of silence before the door swung open.  Victoria’s face was slightly flushed and her make-up was slightly smudged.  “I’m…”  She shook her head.  “Why don’t you come in?”  The blonde stepped back and let her girlfriend join her in the room.

Max stopped halfway through the door and pulled Victoria into a hug.  “What’s going on?” she asked softly.

Victoria stiffened for a moment.  Then she hugged Max back and held on tight for a moment.  “I’m fine,” she murmured.  “Just… stressed.  Stupid stress over something stupid.”  She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge beside her desk and took a long drink.  Max hesitated for a moment before she took a seat on Victoria’s couch.  She knew when to push and when to wait for her girlfriend to be ready to talk.  Her heels tapped absently against the wooden base of her seat as Victoria turned back to her.  “Some of my friends were talking.  And they’re throwing a Vortex party tonight.”

“Oh.”  Max wasn’t sure what else to say to that.

“I just can’t do it!” Victoria burst out, spinning around.  “How can they just… want to start it all over again?  After Nathan.  And Kate!”  She huffed and dropped heavily on the couch next to Max.  “I told them I can’t go and now everyone is looking at me like there’s something wrong.”

One of the brunette’s eyebrows popped up.  “Because you don’t want to go to a party?”

“I’m not that shallow!” Victoria snapped.  “I don’t want to be go to those parties anymore after who knows how many people were drugged and…”  She trailed off and shuddered.

Max put an arm over Victoria’s shoulder and pulled her close.  “You know, a couple of weeks ago I might have thought the same thing.”  The blonde glared at her and shoved her arm off.  “But I didn’t really know you a couple of weeks ago.  Anyone who does know you could tell that you would never put up with someone who hurt your friends.”

Victoria deflated and slumped over.  “I don’t know what to do.  Taylor and Courtney at least still have their heads on straight, but everyone else is just being… ugh!”  She rubbed her temples and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So?” Max asked.  “Screw them.  Who needs assholes that don’t care about you?”

There was a long moment of silence before Victoria laughed softly.  “I’ve let you spend too much time with the stoner.”

Max’s lips twitched up into a smile.  “What?  Chloe knows what she’s talking about sometimes.”  She looked at the far wall for a moment.  “You know what?  We should have our own party tonight.  Who needs the Vortex club?  We can have fun on our own.”

The blonde shook her head, but Max could see a smile come to her lips too.  “So we just call Chloe and get baked in the dorms then?” she deadpanned.

“It’s better than sitting around here being mad at people because they’re dumbasses.”  Max pulled her phone out of her back pocket and flicked the screen up to bring up her messenger app.

 **Max** : Hey Chloe.  You up to have some fun tonight?

There was a short pause before the phone beeped again.

 **Chloe** : i wish

 **Chloe** : mom and stepdick are dragging me into a family thing tonight

 **Chloe** : sorry bae

Max chuckled and her fingers tapped across the screen a few times.

 **Max** : No sweat.  We’ll hang some other time.  :kiss:

 **Chloe** : maaxxxx

 **Chloe** : no emoji!

The hipster stuck out her tongue and chuckled before she backed out of the message.  “Alright… let’s try Kate then.”  Victoria smiled and gestured for her to go on.

 **Max** : Hey Kate!  You free tonight?

 **Kate** : Sorry Max.  I have a project I have to finish this weekend.  I don’t have much time.

Max sighed as she hit the sleep button.  “Okay.  So that’s out.  Maybe Taylor and Courtney can hang out.  You said they don’t have their heads up their asses.”

Victoria shook her head.  “No, I have a better idea.  Let’s get some snacks and crash on the couch for the night.  We can watch some anime movies and pretend that we’re not eating nothing but carbs.”

The brunette grinned.  “Give me ten minutes to get some sodas and popcorn and I’ll be good to go.”

\------------------------------

Max managed to make it back in eight with a six pack of Coke in one hand and an overflowing bowl of popcorn in the other.  She shouldered open the cracked door.  “Yo.  What are we watching babe?”

Victoria smiled and rolled her eyes.  “Wolf Children.  It’s an adorable movie about a single mother raising her werewolf children.”

One of Max’s eyebrows popped up again.  “I’m game.”  She dropped heavily onto the couch and set the snacks on the seat beside her.  “Let’s get this party started.”

Victoria grabbed the remote and looked at the couch.  “Hmmmm.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, it's fine."  Victoria took a seat on the couch next to Max on the couch and leaned over, resting her head on Max's shoulder.  "Let's get started."  She hit the button and turned down the light, letting the light from the screen fill the room as the movie started.

For several minutes, the only sounds in the room were the characters on the screen and the occasional crunch of popcorn or the hiss of a soda being opened.  Still, Max found it hard to get comfortable.  Normally being curled up next to one of her girlfriends was the best thing in the world, but she could feel the stiffness in Victoria's posture and it was worse than any distance between them.  She managed to get all of fifteen minutes into the movie before she had to do something.  "Tori," she said softly.

The blonde jerked in surprise at the nickname.  "Max," she replied smoothly.

"You're still thinking about things, aren't you?" the brunette said.

Victoria's nose turned up slightly.  "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I can tell when there's something wrong."  Max wrapped an arm over her shoulder and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.  "If this isn't helping, we can do something else.  Or I can let you get some rest and maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

Victoria shook her head and she huffed.  "No!  No, I want you here.  I just... I just need to relax and let myself get distracted.  It's just a stupid party.  I don't need to obsess over this."

Max slowly rubbed her hand over her shoulder, feeling the tension in the other girl's body.  "Are you worried about the party?  Or how people acted when you didn't want to go?"

The blonde's eyes snapped to her.  "I... I don't know.  I just... I put a lot of effort into having people like me.  If this is really all it takes for them to start being assholes, maybe it was a huge waste of time."

The photographer frowned and pulled her closer, squishing Victoria against her side.  "Hey, you made some real friends.  And you met us.  That's got to be at least a little worth it."

Victoria laughed half-heartedly and a small smile came to her lips.  "God, I'm such a mess."  She shook her head.  "You're right.  This is stupid.  I don't do stupid.  I just need to get it out of my head and everything will be fine.  I will  _not_  obsess over this nonsense."  Her voice seemed to grow more determined with each sentence, but there was still a slight tremor in it.

Max pulled Victoria again, dragging her into her lap.  The blonde yelped in surprise as she nearly face planted on the couch as the tug pulled her off balance.  She shot Max a glare, but straightened and leaned back against her and settled into her lap.  "What?" Max asked, her voice loaded with faux offense.  "It's more comfortable like this."

Victoria rolled her eyes.  "Well, I suppose that is a good reason."  She leaned back and settled her head against Max's shoulder and the hipster could feel some of the tension finally starting to drain out of her body.

Mission at least partially accomplished, Max wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's midsection and tried to turn her focus to the screen again.  But the warmth of her girlfriend’s body against her chest kept drawing her attention to closer things.  She wondered if there wasn't more that she could do to help get Victoria's mind on other things.  Her tongue dragged across her lips slowly and several ideas came to the front of her mind.   _"Damn it.  Maybe I am spending too much time with Chloe."_   Her hand started to move over Victoria’s stomach, absently tracing slow circles on her body.  For a few minutes, Max wasn’t sure if the other girl even noticed.  Then she heard a small gasp and leaned forward enough to get a look at the blonde’s face.  She could see a pink hue coming to her cheeks and her lips were parted just a bit. Max smiled and only took a moment to consider her next move.  "You know," she said, trying to sound at least a little suave.  "I might be able to help distract you a little more."

Victoria bit her lip and for a moment Max thought that this might have been the wrong kind of distraction to go for.  _"Stupid.  Sex can't solve everything."_

Then her girlfriend's legs parted a bit and a small gasp slipped from Victoria's lips.  "Yes please," she murmured.  "Just make me forget about everything other that you and me right now."

That was all the encouragement Max needed.  Her hand moved higher, tracing meandering trails over the pale skin of the blonde’s thighs.  Max was rewarded with an outright moan as she moved higher, but she resisted the urge to go straight for the kill.  This wasn't just about getting Victoria off.  She needed to keep things going until her girlfriend could barely think about anything other than Max's hands, much less dwell on her problems.  Her hand pushed Victoria’s skirt up higher, just enough to give her a glimpse of the thin black panties hiding her girlfriend’s smooth pussy.  She smiled and let her fingers move back down Victoria’s thigh, firmly running up and down the smooth skin and never getting too close to the next layer of fabric.

The slow, methodical teasing dragged on from seconds to minutes and Victoria began to shift in Max’s lap.  Her lips parted again and a low whine escaped, followed by a breathy whimper.  The sound sent a jolt of heat straight to Max’s crotch and she sped up just a hair, enjoying the warmth of Victoria’s body under her hands.  “Max,” the blonde groaned out.  “I know I asked you to help, but don’t be a teasing bitch.”

The hipster just chuckled.  “What?  You asked me to distract you.”  She leaned in and placed a kiss on Victoria’s neck.  “Hard to be more distracting than a nice long tease?”  Her hand moved up just enough to brush against the edge of her panties.

The two motions drew a hiss from the blonde.  “Yessss…”

Max pulled her a little closer.  “Just relax and enjoy.”  She pressed her lips tightly against her neck.  She suckled the tender skin for a few moments, earning her another moan and a familiar jolt of pleasure before she leaned back to admire her handy work.  A red mark stood out from Victoria’s skin, even in the dimmed lights.  She licked her lips and squeezed her lover’s thigh softly.  “Mmmmm, you’re look so beautiful, you know that?  Anyone who doesn't know that doesn't deserve you.”

“O… of course,” Victoria gasped.  Her voice was still breathy and she moaned again as Max’s hand resumed its slow march on her legs.  A whimper broke free from her throat.  “Ple…”

“What was that?” Max murmured, her lips just barely avoiding touching her ear.

Victoria whined and shifted in place.  Her teeth bit down on her lip like she was trying to stop herself, but another gentle brush on the hem of her panties broke her silence.  “Please,” she gasped.

That sent a bolt of desire through Max’s body that she couldn’t ignore any more.  “Of course,” she purred.  Her hand on Victoria’s stomach lifted up her shirt and slid underneath, cupping one of her breasts.  She was rather pleased to discover that the blonde hadn’t felt the need for a bra while they were hanging out alone.  She fondled the soft mound, her fingers finding the very hard point of her nipple and giving it a pinch that earned her another moan.  Her other hand finally crawled high enough to brush over Victoria’s panties.  She pulled them aside and was very happy to see the glistening of her wetness on her skin underneath.

“Fuck,” Victoria groaned.  “Please, please, please.”  With the flood gates open, she seemed to have lost all control.  Her hips jerked forward, trying to rub against Max’s hand as she exposed her wet slit to the air.

Max could feel her ass grinding against her lap as she tried to get more contact.  “Don’t worry.  I have you.”  She pushed two fingers straight into Victoria’s core and began to pump them in and out.  The blonde moaned loudly and her hips bucked again, falling into rhythm with Max’s thrusts as she fucked herself on her hand.  “Fuck, you’re wet.”

Victoria gasped and her hips pushed forward again.  “And… and whose fault is… is that?” she groaned between breaths.

“Mine," Max admitted.  Then she leaned in so she could whisper in her ear again.  “You're all mine.  And I love it.”

That got her the deep, needy moan that she’d been looking for.  Part of her wanted to abandon Victoria’s breasts and give herself some attention, but the look of pleasure and  _need_  on her lover’s face was too good to give up.  Instead, she swapped to the other breast and squeezed a bit before turning her attention to the nipple and giving it a nice pinch and pull to make Victoria jerk against her fingers again.  “Maaxxx,” the blonde moaned.  “Please!  Just a little more…”

Max bit her lip to hold back a moan of her own.  “Since you asked so nicely.”  She turned her hand a little to give her the reach to grind her thumb against Victoria’s clit while her fingers pumped in and out of her snatch.

Victoria all squealed at the contact and Max forced her thumb down hard, keeping it firmly rubbing against her button no matter how hard her hips bucked.  “Fuck, fuck… fuck!”  Victoria visibly struggled against a cry of pleasure, barely managing to restrain herself to a lusty moan as she hit her peak and her body trembled from the orgasm.

Max felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched the other girl tremble and held her hand there, slowly pumping her hand and letting her ride out the waves of pleasure before Victoria finally went limp in her lap.  “I guess that means I did a good job.”

Victoria looked back over her shoulder for a long moment, her chest heaving and her face flushed with lingering excitement.  “Don’t move,” she said bluntly.  Max let her fingers slide free as Victoria removed herself from her lap.  Then the blonde dropped to her knees in front of Max.  “And we need to get you out of these hipster pants.  Now.”

Max barely had time to lift her ass up off the couch before Victoria grabbed the waistband of her pants and practically tore them off her body.  “Whoa!  Easy, I’m not going anywhere.”

Victoria just gave her a flat look and promptly did the same with her plain white panties.  “Are you going to let me return the favor or not?”

The brunette looked down at her on her knees for a few seconds.  “Return away.”  She spread her legs and let Victoria crawl between them.

“Do not get used to the sight of me on my knees,” Victoria added flatly.  Max didn’t have time to respond before the blonde leaned in and ran her tongue along the length of Max’s slit.  All that came from her mouth was a lusty moan as the warm touch sent a shiver through her body.  Victoria’s tongue expertly traced the folds of her pussy, making sure not to leave an inch untouched before finally arriving at her clit.

The contact was like a bolt of lightning, making Max’s legs tremble slightly and finally letting her get a word out.  “Yessss!”

Victoria responded by spreading Max’s pussy open with two fingers and forcing her tongue inside, wiggling it inside her and lapping at the exposed hole.  Max whimpered and felt the pressure building inside her as Victoria’s other hand came up and two fingers began to rapidly stroke her clit in little circles.  Her hips pushed harder against her lover’s face and she felt the breaking point coming on fast.  Victoria’s tongue sped up and her fingers began to rapidly rub up and down, seemingly intent on bringing her to the edge hard and fast.

Max finally groaned loudly as she felt the pleasure crash down on her.  A breathy moan erupted from her throat and one of her hands grabbed at Victoria’s hair, using it as a handle to hold her face tight against her pussy as she ground against it.  The orgasm seemed to drag on for minutes, but it couldn’t have been nearly that long when she came down from the peak and slumped on the couch.

There was a long moment were the only sound was their shared breathing as they both took a moment to recover.  Max looked down at her girlfriend, admiring her own wetness on her lips and chin and feeling a small shiver of desire run through her again.  “We should do movie nights more often,” she suggested.  “With Chloe and Kate too.”  A goofy grin crossed her face.  "Better than a Vortex party, right?"

Victoria looked up at her with pink cheeks.  “Vortex who?" she said, her words taking on an exaggerated imperious tone.  "They sound like not my problem."

"Never again," Max said.  "If you don't want them to be."

"We'll see," Victoria said as she crawled back up onto the sofa and settled back on Max's lap.  "But tonight I don't care."

"Good."  Max leaned in and kissed her gently, tasting her own juices on Victoria's lips.  "Wanna clean up?"

Her lover chuckled.  "I thought you'd like me with you all over my face."

"Well, a little, but it does make kisses kinda messy."

The blonde shook her head in bemusement and grabbed a box of tissues and wiped her chin.  Then she leaned in and kissed Max again.  "Better?"

"Much better," Max murmured, grabbing a tissue to clean her hand before wrapping it around the other girl's waist again.  "I love you."

Victoria stiffened slightly.  "I love you too," she murmured softly, her cheeks turning pale red.


End file.
